Peter Jackson has shared new details about the next two movies set in The Lord of the Rings world. The latest update gives fans a glimpse of the franchise’s future on the big screen, with both projects at different stages of production.
After receiving the Honorary Grand Prize at the Sitges Film Festival in Catalonia, Jackson shared an update on the upcoming Middle-earth movies. According to Flickering Myth, the filmmaker said, “We have The Shadow of the Past, which is in the scriptwriting stage. The Hunt for Gollum is almost finished filming. I think there are about two weeks of shooting left.”
Directed by Andy Serkis, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum explores the events between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, focusing on Gollum and Aragorn. In the movie, Serkis reprises his role as Gollum and also sees the return of Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, Lee Pace as King Thranduil, and Ian McKellen as Gandalf. The ensemble also includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, and Jamie Dornan.
The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled to release in theaters on December 17, 2027.
Peter Jackson teases what’s next for Middle-earth beyond The Hunt for Gollum
As mentioned above, the next Middle-earth movie in early production is The Shadow of the Past, which will explore events following the original trilogy.
According to Flickering Myth, the movie is set 14 years after Frodo leaves Middle-earth, with Sam, Merry, and Pippin retracing the early steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, discovers a long-buried secret and sets out to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began.
Moreover, it was revealed that, like the previous movies, The Shadow of the Past will draw on chapters three to eight of J.R. Tolkien’s epic novel.
Stephen Colbert is co-writing the screenplay with his son, Peter McGee, and Philippa Boyens, the screenwriter of The Lord of the Rings. Since the movie is still in the script writing stage, further details of the plot and cast are yet to be announced.