Image: Andy Serkis / Gollum [Instagram, @andyserkis]
Peter Jackson is bringing Middle-earth back to the cinema: Two new Lord of the Rings films have been officially announced by Warner Bros.! The first part, The Hunt For Gollum, is set to hit theaters in 2026.
Tolkien fans, take note! Peter Jackson apparently can't leave Middle-earth behind and has already plunged into the next film projects. Warner Bros. has officially announced that two new Lord of the Rings films are being produced. The first one is titled "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum" and is scheduled for 2026. And there's more good news for fans of Peter Jackson's first films. He will once again collaborate with his longtime team members and screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. They were actively involved in translating one of the world's most beloved fantasy stories into screenplay form during the Lord of the Rings trilogy in the 2000s and the Hobbit trilogy in the 2010s. And when it comes to Gollum, one man is essential: Andy Serkis is definitely involved and brings one of the most crucial characters from the entire mythology back to the big screen!
Andy Serkis As Director And Actor
Clearly, Andy Serkis is at least as excited as the fans of his character. This time, he will not only bring Gollum to life as an actor but will also serve as the director for the film project. On Instagram, he has already shared the following post, saying:
"We is baaaaak, Precious!"
Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens have also commented:
“It is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that Stinker — Gollum! As life long fans of Professor Tolkien’s vast mythology, we are proud to be working with Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy and the entire team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!”
Plot Of "The Hunt For Gollum"
Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav has so far stated that the film will explore storylines yet to be told. That leaves a lot open, and we will probably have to wait quite a while for teaser and trailer material. However, there is enough book material to give us hints about the storyline!
In J.R.R. Tolkien's books, Gollum's story is explored further than in the film adaptations. The time between Bilbo Baggins' 111th birthday and Frodo's perilous journey to Rivendell takes much longer in the book, a full 17 years. During this time, not much noteworthy happens in the Shire, but familiar characters like Gandalf and Aragorn are not idle. Gandalf knows that Gollum has been released from his torment in Mordor and asks Aragorn to track him down. After this is accomplished, Gollum is housed with the Wood Elves in Mirkwood. However, he manages to escape from there and eventually tracks down the Fellowship of the Ring in Moria, as his longing for the One Ring still drives him.
Interestingly, there was already a low-budget film titled "The Hunt for Gollum" released in 2009, which dealt with this storyline to some extent. It is a fan project by Chris Bouchard and is 38 minutes long. It remains to be seen what content Warner Bros.' feature film will include this time, as Tolkien does not pursue the topic beyond a brief report on the search for Gollum. Whether Viggo Mortensen will return as Aragorn remains to be seen. A storyline about Aragorn's past as the future king of Gondor and former ranger could be offered here. Gandalf and Rivendell could also play an important role in this narrative. It seems that Peter Jackson's involvement in the film has even prevented film titles such as "The Young Aragorn" from being made.
Other Lord Of The Rings Projects
The "Rings of Power" series started on Amazon Prime with moderate success. A second season is still set for late 2024. Although Peter Jackson had nothing to do with this production, a trailer from Abandoned Films for a "What if" scenario was created earlier this year. Seeing storylines from Tolkien's Silmarillion (the prequel to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) filmed by Peter Jackson is a dream for many fans.
Additionally, the animated film "The War of the Rohirrim" is scheduled for the end of 2024. Another completely different approach that we can look forward to!
