PETALING JAYA, May 10 — Warner Bros is set to release the first of its fresh set of live-action The Lord of the Rings films in 2026, with a focus on Andy Serkis’ Gollum.
According to Variety, Peter Jackson, the filmmaker behind the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy, along with his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, are leading the film's production.
Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav mentioned during an earnings call yesterday that they “will be involved every step of the way.”
The project is still in its early phases of script development by writers Walsh and Boyens, alongside Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.
Zaslav mentioned that it will “explore storylines yet to be told.”
In a press release from Warner Bros, it was revealed that the film's working title is Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
Notably, Serkis will direct and star in his iconic role as Gollum.
Overseeing the project will be Ken Kamins as executive producer, alongside Serkis and The Imaginarium’s Jonathan Cavendish.
Warner Bros initially revealed in February 2023 that newly appointed studio heads Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy had struck a deal to produce multiple films based on JRR Tolkien's beloved books.
The original Lord of the Rings trilogy, directed by Jackson, is widely regarded as one of the most iconic and influential works of fantasy literature and cinema.
The trilogy featured Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin and Cate Blanchett in leading roles.
These three movies received a total of 30 Academy Award nominations and won 17 awards, including the prestigious Best Picture for 2003's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
