The Hunt for Gollum’ Just Received Its Best Update Yet

Andy Serkis will be returning to Middle Earth sooner than fans were expecting. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is the next live-action entry in the Lord of the Rings cinematic franchise. Rumors and casting updates have flooded the internet over the past few months, but very little about the project has been set in stone. Serkis, who directs the movie, as well as returning to voice and provide motion capture for the titular Gollum, has finally given fans the update we’ve been waiting for.

Andy Serkis recently sat down with Collider to promote the eagerly anticipated animated adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm at the Annecy Animation Festival in France. During the conversation, Serkis addressed the status of The Hunt for Gollum and revealed that he and the crew would be journeying back to Middle Earth in less than 12 months. “We’re very early on in the process,” he said of the project. “We’ve been talking about the film over the course of the last year. We’re about to start a period of prep in the next few months or so. We will be shooting in the early to mid-part of next year.”

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Andy Serkis didn’t reveal how long the production would take, as it is likely too early to give such an estimate yet, but the film already has a release date. “And then it’ll be as long as it takes to shoot, which — it’s a sizable movie — all ready for a December 2027 release,” he continued.

‘Lord of the Rings’ Fans Will Find ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ “Surprising”

Warner Bros.

The official synopsis for The Hunt for Gollum also hasn’t been confirmed, as, again, it is too early for something so important to be finalized. But, rumors have circulated over the past months that the film will be set right before The Fellowship of the Ring, and it will star Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Gandalf (Ian McKellen) as they attempt to track down Gollum. However, this has not been officially confirmed.

Andy Serkis didn’t reveal any plot details during the conversation, but the director/actor did tease what fans can expect from the tone and feeling of The Hunt for Gollum in comparison to Peter Jackson’s beloved original trilogy (and The Hobbit trilogy, which also exists). “I’m incredibly excited to go back and work with my friends and family in New Zealand and actually do something which is, I think, going to be surprising, and yet very much part of the lore and the feel of the trilogy,” Serkis explained, continuing:

“The sensibility of it will feel, I think, close to that, and yet we’re investigating in greater depth the character formerly known as Smeagol, but mostly known as Gollum.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set to be released on December 17, 2027. The screenplay is being penned by Philippa Boyens, who also adapted J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels into screenplays for Peter Jackson’s original trilogy.

Source: Collider

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