The Lord Of The Rings: Hunt For Gollum Director Teases Returning Characters

Andy Serkis has revealed more details about the next live-action The Lord of the Rings movie, which he is developing under the working title The Hunt for Gollum. Appearing at the ACE Suphero Comic Con 2024 recently, Serkis began by making it abundantly clear that The Hunt for Gollum is likely not going to be the film's final title, though the film is definitely going to be about Gollum.

"The Hunt for Gollum is a work-in-progress title. It may not end up being called that. It's going to very much be the world of Middle-earth according to Gollum's experience of it," he said, as reported by The Popverse.

Serkis, who himself played Gollum in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings series, went on to tease that the film could feature familiar Lord of the Rings characters.

"It is so early; it would be unfair to commit to anything at this point. But I will say that it will be a deep dive where we investigate Gollum's character," Serkis said. "There may be characters that we recognize that might be coming back. I'm not going to say who."

Given the working title, many believe The Hunt for Gollum--or whatever the final title may be--could tell the story of when Gandalf dispatched Aragorn to track down Gollum and the One Ring. For what it's worth, Gandalf actor Ian McKelllen has said he would consider coming back, while Aragorn actor Viggo Mortensen has said much the same.

Also during the talk, Serkis shed some light on how The Hunt for Gollum came to be. He said he was approached in 2023 about directing, and he jumped at the opportunity, saying it was a "dream come true." He said he's excited to tell another story about Gollum, but it remains to be seen if he will play Gollum in the film as well as direct.

Serkis said he's not scared about making the movie because he still feels so closely connected to the character. Instead, the challenge is "telling a great story," he said.

"And we're right at the beginning of that process. We're just about to start writing it," he said.

Serkis is working on The Hunt for Gollum alongside Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens, the Oscar-winning trio behind the original films. Warner Bros. Discovery is targeting a 2026 release for The Hunt for Gollum, but this certainly sounds ambitious given writing has not even begun.

The Hunt for Gollum might still be some time off, but the next Lord of the Rings movie, The War of the Rohirrim, comes to theaters this December. The animated film tells the story of Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox) and Princess Hera (Gaia Wise).