“The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” will be released in 2026 – Peter Jackson returns
Warner Bros. Discovery and its CEO, David Zaslav, have announced a new movie in the Lord of the Rings universe, titled The Hunt for Gollum, scheduled for release in 2026. Peter Jackson, the director of the famous Tolkien adaptations, will resume his collaboration with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens to produce the new project and “will be involved at every stage.”
The film is currently in the early stages of script development, with Phoebe Gittins and Artie Papageorgiou also involved. According to Zaslav, the film will “explore previously untold storylines.” Andy Serkis will not only reprise his role as Gollum, but will also serve as one of the executive producers alongside Ken Cummins and Jonathan Cavendish.
This project is part of a broader initiative by Warner Bros. using their portfolio, which also includes Harry Potter and the DC Universe. In February 2023, an intermediary agreement was announced with Freemode from Embracer Group to create several films based on Tolkien’s books. These projects will be developed by New Line Cinema under the auspices of Middle-earth Enterprises.
The original Lord of the Rings trilogy, directed by Jackson, proved to be a commercial success, earning nearly $3 billion worldwide and winning 17 Oscars out of 30 nominations.
