Andy Serkis slips into his dot suit to announce The Hunt For Gollum is on

Opening on December 17, 2027, The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum begins production with a video that promises real locations.

By Matt Schimkowitz  |  July 14, 2026 | 5:21pm
Screenshot: YouTube
News News The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum
Andy Serkis slips into his dot suit to announce The Hunt For Gollum is on

Like the Fellowship looking to avoid the Mines of Moria, The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum has an uphill climb ahead of it. Peter Jackson’s beloved Lord Of The Rings trilogy set an extremely high bar for director Andy Serkis, coming off his passion project, Animal Farm, to clear. Thankfully, The Hobbit trilogy significantly lowered expectations, giving Serkis some room to force a de-aged reunion between Frodo and Gandalf as they tell the story of what happened five minutes before The Fellowship Of The Ring. 

That reunion inches ever closer as The Hunt For Gollum is officially on. In a new video released today, Serkis slips back into his motion-capture suit and assumes the crouched position of Gollum to call “Action” on the film. But while nostalgic Ring nuts will enjoy hearing Serkis’ raspy Sméagol once again, the video’s reveal of an actual physical location is probably the most exciting part. 

The Hunt For Gollum is the first of two new Lord Of The Rings films set in Peter Jackson’s series coming to theaters. While Hunt For Gollum is a prequel, following Aragorn and Gandalf’s failure to catch Gollum before Sauron, a sequel co-written by Stephen Colbert, entitled Shadows Of The Past, is also expected in the coming years. That movie will be a more traditional legacy sequel, following the adventures of Sam, Merry, and Pippin’s kids as they retrace their dads’ footsteps. 

The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum hits theaters on December 17, 2027.

 
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