Production has officially begun on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, with Warner Bros. Pictures celebrating the milestone by releasing the first behind-the-scenes footage of Andy Serkis returning as the iconic Gollum. The brief video offers fans an early glimpse of the actor back on set as filming gets underway for the long-awaited return to Middle-earth.
The short clip opens with Serkis sitting at a table with the screenplay before looking toward a production assistant and asking, “What are we gonna start with?” The behind-the-scenes footage then teases the beginning of production, marking Serkis’ first time portraying Gollum since the Hobbit trilogy concluded more than a decade ago.
Serkis is not only reprising his role as Gollum, also known as Sméagol, but is also directing the film. His original motion-capture performance in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy is widely regarded as one of the most influential performances in modern visual effects filmmaking, helping redefine performance capture in Hollywood.
Set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hunt for Gollum will explore a chapter of Tolkien’s mythology that has never been adapted into a feature film. The story is expected to follow Gandalf’s growing realization that Gollum possesses crucial knowledge about the One Ring and Aragorn’s mission to track him down before Sauron’s forces can do the same.
The project also reunites much of the creative team behind the original Oscar-winning trilogy. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens are producing the film, while Walsh and Boyens have also co-written the screenplay alongside Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. Their return maintains a strong creative link to the films that helped define fantasy cinema in the early 2000s.
Although Warner Bros. has not revealed extensive plot details, the film represents the studio’s latest effort to expand the cinematic world of J.R.R. Tolkien following the animated feature The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. It also marks the franchise’s first live-action theatrical feature since The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies was released in 2014.
Several familiar faces are expected to return alongside Serkis. Ian McKellen is set to reprise his role as Gandalf, while Elijah Wood will once again appear as Frodo Baggins. Andy Serkis has also confirmed that Viggo Mortensen will not return as Aragorn, with the role being recast for the new film. Previously announced additions to the cast include Jamie Dornan, Kate Winslet, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Leo Woodall.
Scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 17, 2027, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum marks the long-awaited return of one of fantasy cinema’s most beloved characters. With cameras now rolling and Andy Serkis back in Middle-earth, Warner Bros. has officially begun the next chapter in its ongoing expansion of Tolkien’s legendary world.
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