The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (2026)
 

https://www.ign.com/articles/new-the...unced-for-2026

UPDATE: Warner Bros. has announced that the new Lord of the Rings movie is titled Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and it will be directed by and star Andy Serkis in his iconic titular role. The film will be executive produced by Ken Kamins, with Serkis and The Imaginarium’s Jonathan Cavendish.

Jackson, Walsh and Boyens said: “It is 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! As life long fans of Professor Tolkien’s vast mythology, we are proud to be working with Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy and the entire team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!”

“Yesssss, Precious,” Serkis added. “The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle-earth Peter, Fran and Philippa. With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our film making family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious..."

I don't really have any strong feelings about this good or bad.

Kate Winslet has landed the female lead in the film.

https://deadline.com/2026/03/kate-wi...is-1236749998/

Hey, so remember the War of the Rohirrim? The other movie based on some trivial backstory that they didn't bother to adapt the first time? Yeah, nobody really does. Turns out, some parts of the story aren't really worth telling, especially not as standalone stories themselves.

If you don't don't know what happens to Gollum after Bilbo escaped his cave and getting captured by Sauron, then after the torture and before trailing the Fellowship, here is a rundown:

1. He waits a few years in his cave because he can't work up the nerve to get frequently exposed to daylight.
2. He tracks Bilbo down until he learns he came from a place called the Shire.
3. He failed to get to the Shire because Sauron cast a spell or something that compelled him and all others warped by evil to go to Mordor.
4. He spends some time as Shelob's servant before he's captured and tortured.
5. Sauron let's him go and he tries to get back to the ring.
6. Aragorn finds him and takes him to the elves where they get information out of him.
7. He eventually escapes when orcs show up and starts his search again.

That's it, there isn't much of a story there because the only turns there is him getting captured and interrogated twice.

Aragorn is officially being recast. I'll miss Viggo Mortensen.

https://variety.com/2026/film/news/a...go-1236706167/

They PROBABLY could have made it work with him but maybe best not to go the Orlando-Bloom-in-Hobbit route.

Hard pass.