A new live-action Lord of the Rings movie, officially titled Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum, is now in the works, and we couldn't be more excited. The world created by J.R.R. Tolkien is coming back to the big screen with a story that will focus on Gollum, and will bring back fan-favorite characters like Gandalf and Frodo. Ready to return to Middle-earth one more time?
It has been over a decade after The Hobbit trilogy came to an end, and since then we've only been traveling further into the past with two seasons of Prime Video's The Rings of Power (season 3 is on the way) and the animated prequel movie The War of the Rohirrim. Now it's finally time to move forward in the Lord of the Rings timeline and enjoy a different perspective on the story we all know and love.
Peter Jackson will be producing the movie, with Andy Serkis will be starring and directing. Do you want to know what else to expect? Keep reading for our guide on everything you need to know about The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum release date, official cast, plot, first-look images, and more. We've got the lowdown on one of the most exciting upcoming movies, so make sure you are up to date.
The Hunt for Gollum release date
The Hunt for Gollum 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.
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.
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
Currently, the only confirmed cast member for The Hunt for Gollum is Gollum himself, with Andy Serkis on board to reprise his role from the Peter Jackson movies.
Although it is yet to be confirmed by Warner Bros, Ian McKellen revealed on August 17 that Gandalf and Frodo will be part of the upcoming film. "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 (via Tik Tok).
As the actor said the characters are returning, we're not sure if Elijah Wood and he will be returning, but we expect them to. Other Lord of the Rings actors like Viggo Mortensen would also be open to a comeback, but nothing has been confirmed yet.
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.
There's the possibility that Warner Bros decides to recast the characters. If that is the case, I, like many others, will probably scream in despair at that news. We'll keep you posted as more news heads our way.
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.
