Andy Serkis to Direct/Star in New LORD OF THE RINGS Film From Producer Peter Jackson

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that two new films in The Lord of the Rings franchise are on their way.

The first film has a tentative title of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and will be directed by Andy Serkis, who will also reprise his iconic role of Gollum from the earlier installments. The film is planned for a 2026 release, with the team already in the early stages of development on the screenplay. Peter Jackson will also return to the franchise as producer alongside Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.

Walsh and Boyens are once again set to write the screenplay, having collaborated on the previous six scripts in the Middle-earth franchise. They will be joined by Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou who have written the animated The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which is set for release later this year.

In a statement, Warner Bros. Motion Pictures heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy said: “For over two-decades, moviegoers have embraced the Lord of the Rings film trilogy because of the undeniable devotion Peter, Fran and Philippa have shown towards protecting the legacy of Tolkien’s works, and to ensure audiences could experience the incredible world he created in a way that honors his literary vision. We are honored they have agreed be our partners on these two new films. With Andy coming aboard to direct Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum(*WT), we continue an important commitment to excellence that is a true hallmark of how we all want to venture ahead and further contribute to the Lord of the Rings cinematic history.” 

Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens added “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!”

Serkis also commented, saying “Yesssss, Precious. 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…”.   

Serkis previously directed Venom: Let There Be Carnage for Marvel and an adaptation of The Jungle Book for Netflix. As an actor, he has starred in the MCU, the DC universe and the Star Wars franchise and has performed in motion capture for a variety of projects.

Read more at Deadline.

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