New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movie Releasing In 2026, Andy Serkis Directing And Returning As Gollum

After it was reported early last year that Warner Bros. and New Line were developing new live-action Lord of the Rings movies, it’s now been confirmed that original trilogy director Peter Jackson will be producing and that Andy Serkis, who has famously starred as Gollum in the films, will be directing.

Titled The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, the film is currently scheduled be to released in 2026. Serkis will also return to play Gollum in the film.

According to the studio, the project is in the “early stages” of script development and is being written by Jackson’s producing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, in addition to Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.

“For over two decades, moviegoers have embraced the ‘Lord of the Rings’ film trilogy because of the undeniable devotion Peter, Fran and Philippa have shown towards protecting the legacy of Tolkien’s works, and to ensure audiences could experience the incredible world he created in a way that honors his literary vision,” Warner Bros. film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy said in a statement.

“We are honored they have agreed be our partners on these two new films. With Andy coming aboard to direct Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, we continue an important commitment to excellence that is a true hallmark of how we all want to venture ahead and further contribute to the Lord of the Rings, cinematic history.”

In the statement, Warner Bros. indicated that two new films in the LOTR universe were in the works, with the first being The Hunt for Gollum.

Back in March 2023, BroBible’s Post Credit Podcast was the first to ask Serkis about the new Lord of the Rings movies in development, with the actor and director poetically claiming that Middle-Earth “never left” him.

“[Producers] Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens are sort of a second family that I have become part of and have gone on to make so many films with,” Serkis told BroBible’s Post-Credit Podcast at the time.

“And — let me tell you — they are the best and most incredible people to work with. I think that there are so many other potential Middle-Earth projects which could come about, and if they’re doing them, I would, of course, jump at the chance to have that relationship rekindled … Middle-Earth has never left me.”

Later this year, the Lord of the Rings franchise will return to the big screen as the animated film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will hit theaters on Friday, December 13. Set 200 years before the events of The Hobbit, The War of the Rohirrim stars Brian Cox stars as Helm Hammerhand.

You can watch BroBible’s full interview with Serkis below. All six of the movies in the Lord of the Rings franchise are currently streaming on MAX.