Warner announces new “Lord of the Rings” films

The Hunt for Gollum” marks the return of the fantasy franchise to cinemas with a new story from 2026

Warner Bros. plans to release a new batch of “Lord of the Rings” films, with the first scheduled for 2026. The film, titled “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” will be centered on the figure of Gollum, with Andy Serkis returning to play the title role, in addition to taking on the direction of the project.

Original Films Team

The film is currently in the early stages of script development, carried out by Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who worked on the original trilogy, in collaboration with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.

“The Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson, along with his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, will be deeply involved in the film’s production. “He will be involved every step of the way,” said David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, when announcing the production during a presentation of the conglomerate’s financial results.

The team intends to explore untold narrative lines in the vast universe created by JRR Tolkien.

Expectations and background

This announcement follows the revelation in February 2023 that the studio’s new leaders, Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, have reached a deal to produce “multiple” films based on JRR Tolkien’s books, developed through New Line Cinema, a division of WB. Additionally, a separate animated film called “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” is set to be released on December 13, directed by Kenji Kamiyama and set 200 years before the events of “The Hobbit.”