Middle-earth fans will have to wait a little longer for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, as the film’s release has been pushed back by a year.
After the massive success of Peter Jackson’s iconic Lord of the Rings trilogy and the mixed reactions to The Hobbit films, Middle-earth is making a comeback with The Hunt for Gollum.
The film was officially announced in May 2024, with Jackson producing and Andy Serkis directing.
During a Fan Expo Vancouver panel (via The Direct), Serkis confirmed that the film had been delayed by a year.
Originally planned for a December 2026 release, The Hunt for Gollum will now hit theatres in December 2027.
He explained that the project is still in the early writing phase.
He explained: ”Yeah, it is not 2026. It was originally going to be December 2026. It is [now] going to be December 2027.”
“We are right at the beginning of the writing process,” he clarified.
“We will be prepping later this year.”
“Prep takes a good chunk of time, six or seven months, and then we will be shooting next year. So, it backs into that December 2027 release date.”
This storyline, briefly mentioned in J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, will offer a deeper look into Middle-earth’s history.
Alongside Serkis, the production team has reportedly reached out to original trilogy stars, including Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) and Ian McKellen (Gandalf), though their involvement hasn’t been officially confirmed yet.
While Ian McKellen has shown interest in reprising his role as Gandalf, Viggo Mortensen has been more cautious.
Speaking to GQ, Mortensen said: “I would only do it if I was right for it in terms of, you know, the age I am now and so forth.”
Screenwriter Philippa Boyens echoed this sentiment, telling The Playlist that Mortensen’s involvement will ultimately come down to the quality of the script.
She said, “Whether Viggo does it or not will entirely depend on how good the script is.”
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