Peter Jackson confirms the Hunt for Gollum script is ready, with Andy Serkis directing and a 2027 release locked.
Hunt for Gollum script status just went from “precious development” to “actually happening,” and Warner Bros. is already counting the box office gold. Peter Jackson confirmed that the screenplay is ready, which means Middle-earth is officially open for business again.
The film, officially titled Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, is set for release on December 17, 2027. Jackson is producing alongside his longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who are also handling the screenplay. Andy Serkis directs and stars, reprising the role that made motion-capture performance a legitimate art form. The story will explore what Gollum was up to in the years between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, which is basically the equivalent of making a movie about what your creepy neighbor does in his basement.
Hunt for Gollum Behind the Scenes
Hunt for Gollum script development has been unusually secretive for a franchise this massive. Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav revealed during a financial call that the script is “great” and that shooting will begin early to mid-2026. Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens released a joint statement calling it “an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that stinker—Gollum!”
What makes this project fascinating is that Jackson is not directing. After helming all six previous Middle-earth films, he has handed the reins to Serkis, who has spent the last two decades proving he understands performance technology better than almost anyone alive. Serkis directed Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Mowgli, but this is his first time stepping into a universe he helped define as an actor. The mentorship dynamic is real—Jackson is producing and writing, but Serkis is the one who will be on set making the decisions.
Hunt for Gollum script also opens the door for other original trilogy cast members to return. Orlando Bloom has expressed interest in bringing Legolas back, though he noted the filmmakers would need to use de-aging technology since the character is supposed to be much younger than Bloom is now. The film is the first of two new Lord of the Rings features that Warner Bros. has planned, meaning this isn’t a one-off nostalgia trip—it’s a full-blown return to the franchise.
The original trilogy grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide and won 17 Oscars. The Hobbit trilogy matched those grosses but received a more mixed reception. Hunt for Gollum represents a chance to recapture the magic of the original films by focusing on a smaller, character-driven story rather than an epic war. Sometimes the best way to restart an empire is to follow the creature who lost his empire in the first place.
Return to Middle-earth when Hunt for Gollum hits theaters December 17, 2027.
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