New Lord of the Rings film, The Hunt for Gollum, targeting 2026 release

Warner Bros. has confirmed that a new Lord of the Rings film, produced by Peter Jackson, is targeting a 2026 release. Titled The Hunt for Gollum, the film will be directed by and star Andy Serkis, who will reprise his character from the original trilogy.

During an earnings call on Thursday, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav divulged that the film is “now in the early stages of script development” and will “explore storylines yet to be told.”

Jackson, who helmed the original Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, and his longtime writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens  “will be involved every step of the way,” Zaslav added.

Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy book series, the original Lord of the Rings trilogy was released in the early 2000s, grossing nearly 3 billion worldwide. The Hobbit trilogy followed in the early 2010s  and proved just as successful at the box office.

In 2022, Prime Video premiered the episodic series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, set thousands of years before the events of Tolkien’s books. Season two is expected to air later this year.

This summer will also see the original Lord of the Rings trilogy return to theaters with special 4K ultra HD screenings.