Andy Serkis Opens Up About the Enormous Challenge of Directing THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM
This year marks a huge milestone for Middle-earth. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring turns 25, and it’s wild to think how much that film reshaped modern blockbuster filmmaking.
Its influence still ripples through fantasy, visual effects, and long-form storytelling today. Now, nearly three decades later, a familiar face is stepping back into Tolkien’s world with a mission that sounds equal parts thrilling and nerve-racking.
On December 17, 2027, Warner Bros. will release The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, directed by and starring Andy Serkis. The film aims to revisit the cinematic Middle-earth shaped by Peter Jackson, whose original trilogy set an almost impossible bar, and whose later Hobbit films had a more mixed reception. Serkis knows exactly what kind of pressure comes with that legacy.
“It is a phenomenal challenge, exciting and of course terrifying at the same time,” Serkis told Empire. “We have a very specific task ahead of us.
“A return to Middle-earth that satisfies the passion and the love that generations of Lord of the Rings fans have for these stories, whilst also presenting something completely fresh and new for first-timers to Middle-earth, with one of Tolkien’s richest and most complex characters at its heart.”
This will be the first live-action Lord of the Rings movie in over a decade, and expectations couldn’t be higher. Still, the idea that Middle-earth needs to feel “new” again is debatable. The original trilogy has aged remarkably well. On top of that, Prime Video’s ongoing series has kept Tolkien’s world firmly in the pop culture conversation.
From a studio perspective, it’s easy to see the thinking. This is an expensive production that needs to bring in longtime fans and casual audiences alike. The hope is that this logic stays mostly in the boardroom. What really matters is whether the film is made with the same care, patience, and respect that defined the original trilogy. If that foundation is there, audiences usually follow.
There’s also a recent reminder that Middle-earth projects aren’t guaranteed hits. Warner Bros. released a genuinely cool Lord of the Rings anime film in theaters just two years ago, and it barely made a dent. Live-action is a different animal, but that outcome surely factors into the studio’s caution.
For now, Serkis is in New Zealand prepping for production, with cameras set to roll later this year as the countdown to that December 2027 release begins.
The big question remains. Will The Hunt for Gollum end up being a great film that reaches the bar set by the original trilogy?