Middle-earth has been front and center of our minds for many months now. From the Prime Video series set in the fantasy universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien, there is more to come with Andy Serkis set to bring audiences back to this breathtaking world. The actor who played the legendary character of Gollum/Sméagol in Peter Jackson’s original The Lord of the Rings trilogy, is set to direct a new project in 2026 with Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. The project is beginning to attract some of the franchise’s biggest and most recognizable names, with Sir Ian McKellen, the legendary actor who brought to life the unforgettable character of the wizard Gandalf, looking to return.
While making an appearance during UK’s This Morning talk show, McKellen made some interesting revelations regarding Serkis‘ upcoming take on Middle-earth. Despite not having any detailed knowledge regarding scripts and production, the legendary actor revealed that The Hunt for Gollum will be split into two movies. “I’m told it’s two films. I probably shouldn’t be saying that, but I haven’t read the script, and I don’t know when it is, and I don’t even know where it’ll be filmed,” McKellen said. Furthermore, the 85-year-old actor went on to add, that he would fancy a return to New Zealand to film the prospective films, adding:
“Well, all I know is that they called me up and said these films were going to happen, that [they’re] mainly going to be about Gollum, Andy Serkis who played Gollum is going to direct, and there will be a script arriving sometime in the new year […] and then I’ll judge whether I want to go back [laughs].”
Besides the prospective return of Sir Ian as Gandalf, The Hunt for Gollum might likely see the return of yet another iconic star from the original trilogy. McKellen‘s co-star, Orlando Bloom who played the skillful Elvish archer, Legolas, has also indicated an interest in returning. Speaking recently about returning to the Tolkien franchise, Bloom answered, saying, “Oh, man, those things are amazing.” Adding, “Yeah. I don’t know how they’d do it. I guess with AI you can do anything these days. But, if Pete says jump, I say, ‘how high?’ I mean, he started my whole career.”
Familiar Creative Minds Return For ‘The Hunt For Gollum’
While Serkis is returning to play Gollum and will direct the forthcoming picture, the original trilogy’s director, Peter Jackson, is set to come aboard alongside his long-time collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is due for release in 2026, and will be a Sméagol-centered story. Jackson previously revealed potential plotlines the set of films might take:
“The Gollum/Sméagol character has always fascinated me because Gollum reflects the worst of human nature, whilst his Sméagol side is, arguably, quite sympathetic. I think he connects with readers and film audiences alike, because there’s a little bit of both of them in all of us. We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn’t have time to cover in the earlier films. It’s too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take our lead from Professor Tolkien.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, is due for release in 2026. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is available to stream on Max in the U.S.
via Collider