“We is baaaaak, Precious!”
Lauren Murphy
4 weeks ago
It is one of the most iconic trilogies in film, and has spawned both another trilogy and a TV spin-off – but it seems that all of the stories have not yet been wrung from ‘Lord of the Rings’.
In recent days, a new film has been confirmed for release in 2026 that will focus on the character of Gollum, the creature voiced by Andy Serkis in both the original ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy and the ‘Hobbit’ trilogy. Serkis will also direct the film, which is called ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’.
What’s more, director of both trilogies Peter Jackson and his partners, Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens, will be producing the new Gollum film and “will be involved every step of the way”, according to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
The news of a new LOTR isn’t exactly new, considering how WBD announced their plans for further films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s books back in 2023, but this is the first confirmation of a release date and details about the team.
With Serkis directing the film, its script is in the early stages of development. It will be written by Walsh and Boyens, with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou, and will “explore storylines yet to be told” from Tolkien’s world.
Jackson, Walsh and Boyens said in a statement: “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!”
Serkis said: “Yesssss, Precious. The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle Earth Peter, Fran and Philippa. With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our filmmaking family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious…”
Meanwhile, a new animated LOTR film ‘The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’ will be released in December and is set 200 years before ‘The Hobbit’.
McKellen is now 85, he admitted in a recent interview that he’d be interested in playing the role of the wise wizard – on one condition.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, McKellen said that he had heard Gandalf will feature in the new film and joked how he already had the requisite long hair and beard for his current theatre role as Falstaff in ‘Player Kings’, an amalgamation of Shakespeare’s Henry VIII Parts 1 and 2, running in London’s West End.
“But there is no script, there is no offer, there is no plan,” he added. When pressed on whether he would be up for the role, he jokingly said “If I’m alive.”
Considering how his fellow thesp Christopher Lee was approaching his 80th birthday when he portrayed Saruman in the original trilogy, it’s certainly not beyond the realm of possibility.
It’s also difficult to see anyone else in the role of Gandalf – but for now, it’s a case of waiting to see how ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ ultimately pans out.
Source: entertainment.ie