The Hunt for Gollum has begun, with the big return film for Lord of the Rings scheduled to release in late 2027, and big updates are arriving all the time. It's been a decade since we last visited Middle Earth on the big screen in Peter Jackson's Hobbit movies, so just under two more years doesn't feel so long.
While The Hunt for Gollum takes place prior to Bilbo Baggins finding the ring, seen only briefly in flashback in the original films, several original cast members seem to be returning alongside Andy Serkis as Gollum, with Elijah Wood's Frodo and Ian McKellen's Gandalf reported to return.
That's just the tip of the iceberg of everything there is to know about The Hunt for Gollum, including where it falls on the Lord of the Rings timeline, plot details, more cast updates, and much more. This is one of the most exciting upcoming movies, so it's well worth getting up to date. Pack up your Lembas bread and your Elvish cloak and prepare for adventure, cause we've gathered it all below.
The Hunt for Gollum release date
The Hunt for Gollum's release date has been revealed as December 17, 2027. This news was announced by Warner Bros on May 8, 2025, and we couldn't be more excited. Initially, the film was planned for a December 2026 release window. However, it was revealed during the Fan Expo Vancouver 2025 event (via The Direct) that the movie had been pushed back to 2027.
Although the movie has yet to start filming, star Elijah Wood confirmed at DesertCon that The Hunt for Gollum "is going to be shot in New Zealand," just like the original trilogy was. "So, it is going to carry with it such continuity with so many people who are a part of Lord of the Rings, and I am really excited about that," added the star.
Considering how the movie was only announced in 2024, this timeline does make sense as fantasy movies need time in post-production as well to truly cook. Hopefully, the additional time will result in one of the best fantasy movies of the year!
What is The Hunt for Gollum plot?
While we don't know how the Hunt for Gollum will expand on Tolkien's work (a terrifying thought), we do know that it's based on the appendices of Tolkien's novel. It will take place primarily 17 years after Bilbo's birthday, when he handed over the One Ring to Frodo. Although Peter Jackson's films didn't really show off the lengthy timeline before Frodo left for Rivendell, the events of the movie take place before our main hobbits even leave the Shire.
Basically, worried about the nefarious nature of Frodo's "magic ring," Gandalf is concerned that Gollum would be captured and subsequently reveal information about what he suspects is the One Ring to Sauron's dark forces. In order to try and get to Gollum before Sauron, Gandalf reaches out to Aragorn and asks him to make use of his ranger skills to track the wretched creature down before it's too late.
This results in Aragorn and Gandalf teaming up periodically to search for Gollum together (often resulting in cold trails). Unfortunately, if you've seen or read The Lord of the Rings, you know that Gollum ventured into Mordor and was captured. Gandalf went to dive into researching the One Ring some more to confirm his suspicions, while Aragorn continued the hunt for Gollum, and Gollum continued to be tortured by Sauron in the meantime.
Eventually, Sauron released Gollum after getting all he could out of him, and poor Gollum got himself captured by Aragorn shortly after his newfound freedom. The pair travels for around 50 days, avoiding the enemy when they can, as Aragorn ventures to a safe place to imprison Gollum for interrogation later. Gandalf does get to question Gollum, where he gets further confirmation that Frodo's ring is none other than the One Ring belonging to Sauron.
This led to a sense of urgency and fully kicked off the action that we see in Fellowship as Gandalf returned to the Shire to inform Frodo on his next steps, the Ringwraiths entered the Shire, and a bunch of Orcs allowed Gollum to escape his prison.
There is a lot to go through in terms of the upcoming movie's plot here, but a lot of it involves time skips and simple travel without much confrontation. So we expect the Hunt for Gollum movie to make some changes. There was a fan-made Hunt for Gollum movie that was released back in 2009. This film featured an original story, though, using Tolkien's work as a jumping-off point. So it'll be interesting to see if Warner Bros takes a similar route here.
However, don't expect The Hunt for Gollum to completely follow Peter Jackson's trilogy, as director and star Andy Serkis said to Empire, "We have a very specific task ahead of us. A return to Middle-earth, that satisfies the passion and the love that generations of Lord Of The Rings fans have for these stories, whilst also presenting something completely fresh and new for first-timers to Middle-earth."
In terms of the script, fans can rest easy that the pen is in the capable hands of Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. At DesertCon in Mexico (via The Direct), Froddo star Elijah Wood confirmed he knows "a great deal" about the script, and that "it's really good." Walsh and Boyens notably helped pen both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
"The brain trust behind Lord of the Rings, Fran, Peter, Philippa, they are heavily involved," said Wood. "It feels like getting that old machine up and running again with all of the right people."
Then later, in an interview with Empire, writer Boyens described the installment as an "adventure story with a really strong psychological, interior story that’s going on as well."
Where does The Hunt for Gollum fit in the Lord of the Rings timeline?
The Hunt for Gollum technically starts as far back as TA 2944, only a few years after Bilbo's quest in The Hobbit, where Gandalf wished to know how Gollum got the ring in the first place. The Hunt picks up again in TA 3001 after Bilbo's 111th birthday party, where Gandalf's suspicions about the ring heat up to a fever pitch. The Hunt for Gollum then concludes in TA 3018. This is also the year when Frodo and his friends start their journey to Rivendell.
Currently, it's unclear what timeline the upcoming movie will present. The main action of The Hunt for Gollum spans over 17 years. So we are curious to see how Jackson and his team plan to adapt Tolkien's work to fit into a film. Stay tuned for updates!
The Hunt for Gollum cast
Though the only officially confirmed cast member for The Hunt for Gollum is the original Gollum himself, Andy Serkis, several other big names from the classic Lord of the Rings film trilogy are reportedly returning, including Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Elijah Wood's Frodo.
This is supported by comments made by McKellen last summer which indicated he and Wood would both appear in The Hunt for Gollum. "I'll tell you two secrets about the casting: there's a character in the movie called Frodo, and there's a character in the movie called Gandalf. Apart from that, my lips are sealed!," he said during the For the Love of Fantasy fan event in London.
At the same time, Wood has stated that he "wouldn't want anyone else to play Frodo" while he's still around to do it, saying "It's always a little nerve-racking when people talk about new movies for a world like Middle-earth. Everyone gets a little protective and hopes it retains its level of integrity, but this story is fun, thrilling. There is a genuine feeling of getting the band back together."
Indeed, other Lord of the Rings actors like Viggo Mortensen would also be open to a comeback, but nothing has been confirmed yet. For his part, Orlando Bloom has said he hasn't heard anything, but he wouldn't want to see anyone else play the part.
"I have not heard a peep, actually. I don't know. I know it's focusing on Gollum, so anything's possible," Bloom said on Today. "Listen, I'd hate to see anyone else play Legolas, you know what I mean? What are they going to do? Are they going to put somebody else in as Legolas? With AI they can do anything these days!"
McKellen previously stated that he was keen to return as Gandalf during an interview with The Times, and Mortensen told GQ that he hadn't received a script.
Still, the classic Fellowship of the Ring won't be the only main characters of the film, as Kate Winslet has reportedly been cast as the unnamed female lead, with rumors potentially indicating she's got a connection to Aragorn.
Is there a The Hunt for Gollum trailer?
Currently, there is no trailer for the Hunt for Gollum. However, since we now have a release date, we'll likely see a teaser soon. Our money is that the first trailer will drop during San Diego Comic-Con in July this year.
While we wait for the trailer, you can watch the 2009 fan-made movie, The Hunt For Gollum, now on YouTube. Or if you want to dive into a Middle-earth refresher, you can also read our guide on how to watch all the Lord of the Rings movies in order as well.
For more Tolkien fun, check out our list of the best Lord of the Rings games to play today.
