New Teaser Reveals Andy Serkis Reprising His Role as Gollum in The Hunt for Gollum

Actor-director Andy Serkis is stepping back into the motion capture suit and taking the director’s chair for next year’s The Lord of the Rings spinoff, The Hunt for Gollum. Although we have over a year to wait for the film’s release, an early glimpse of the production was shared recently.

In some brief behind-the-scenes footage, we see Serkis donning the iconic suit that made him a household name. On the first day of filming, he prepares to embody Gollum, working on a motion-capture stage in a silver suit. The actor gets into his signature crouch, channels Smeagol’s distinctive voice, and calls for “Action!”

While this sneak peek doesn’t reveal much, fans concerned that The Hunt for Gollum will be entirely shot on sound stages and virtual sets can breathe easy. The footage also hints at location shooting in New Zealand, the same stunning backdrop used for Peter Jackson’s original LOTR trilogy.

This behind-the-scenes look confirms that The Hunt for Gollum has officially entered production, which is a bit surprising given that plans for new Lord of the Rings films were announced in 2023, and this spinoff was initially set for a 2026 release. Casting details for the Gollum-centric film have only recently been unveiled, featuring Kate Winslet as Marigol, Anya Taylor-Joy as Seren, Jamie Dornan as Strider, and Leo Woodall as Halvard. Notably, returning actors from the original films include Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey, Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, and Lee Pace as Thranduil.

Serkis is not only reprising his role as Gollum/Smeagol but is also directing the film, which has a script penned by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou. He has confirmed plans to digitally de-age certain actors to align with the film’s timeline, which takes place during the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

The Hunt for Gollum will explore the period between Bilbo’s 111th birthday and Gandalf’s return to the Shire, events that are mentioned in the early chapters of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring but were omitted from Jackson’s 2001 adaptation. In this narrative, Gandalf enlists Aragorn to track down Gollum to uncover the origins of Bilbo’s ring and determine if it is indeed the One Ring sought by Sauron.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set to hit theaters on December 17, 2027. Interestingly, it will release on the same day as Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Secret Wars, setting the stage for another epic double feature reminiscent of this year’s “Dunesday” showdown between Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday.

And there’s more live-action Lord of the Rings content on the horizon. Warner Bros. is also developing another project tentatively titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past. Additionally, Prime Video’s prequel series, The Rings of Power, is set to return for its third season later this year. Shadows of the Past will draw inspiration from a chapter in The Fellowship of the Ring.