Warner Bros. will kick off its new batch of live-action “The Lord of the Rings” films in 2026, with the first movie centering around Andy Serkis’ iconic character, Gollum. The announcement was made by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav during an earnings call on Thursday.
The project, currently in the early script development stage, will explore storylines yet to be told in the beloved J.R.R. Tolkien universe. Original “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy filmmakers Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens are on board as producers and will be involved throughout the process.
With a working title of “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” the film will be directed by and star Serkis, reprising his iconic role as the troubled creature. Walsh, Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou are penning the script.
Warner Bros. previously revealed plans to produce multiple films based on Tolkien’s works in February 2023, with the projects being developed through the New Line Cinema label. The studio has secured the adaptive rights for books like “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” under a venture called Middle-earth Enterprises.
In addition to the live-action Gollum film, an animated movie titled “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” set 200 years before “The Hobbit,” is slated for release on December 13 through Warner Bros.
The original “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, directed by Jackson, grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide and won 17 Academy Awards, including Best Picture for “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” in 2003.