Andy Serkis Provides An Update On His Lord Of The Rings Spinoff While Also Admitting He ‘Cannot Escape’ Gollum

Andy Serkis is once again making magic via Middle-earth. The pioneering performance-capture star is currently working on the upcoming The Hunt for Gollum, one of many Lord of the Rings spinoffs on the way. And this time around, not only is the award-winning performer set to headline as the ring-obsessed creature who changed blockbuster filmmaking, but he’s also directing. On that note, Serkis recently provided an update on production and commented on his relationship with his famous character.

Speaking with Metro at the London premiere of Prime Video’s The Girlfriend, Serkis credited the longtime creative “family” behind the franchise and acknowledged that Gollum remains one of the best LOTR characters and is inseparable from his career. At the time of the interview, he was also very close to getting down to his prep for the fantasy flick:

Does Andy Serkis have the one ring in his pocket, or is he just happy to see his old friend Gollum? For Serkis, “can’t escape” isn’t a complaint but a positive obsevation. The role he first voiced in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and then fully embodied via performance capture from The Two Towers onward has become one of cinema’s most indelible creations.

It’s been 13 years since Serkis' last big-screen turn as Gollum in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which makes the timing of this return feel both nostalgic and fitting.

The actor has previously recounted the story of almost passing on Gollum entirely. Back in 2020, he recalled on Josh Gad’s Reunited Apart that a fellow performer once warned him off playing a “digital character” whose face wouldn’t appear on screen. Serkis, of course, took the leap, and despite facing mocking for mocap, he helped push motion capture into the mainstream, even later playing Caesar in Planet of the Apes and Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars.

Now, the Venom: Let There Be Carnage director is poised to add another chapter, this time from the director’s chair. Plot details for The Hunt for Gollum remain under wraps, but the Imaginarium Studios co-founder's update confirms the project is moving from announcement to action, which is terrific news for LOTR fans.

The timing of production starting on The Hunt for Gollum also dovetails with Serkis’s busy 2025 movie slate. He’s currently an executive producer on The Girlfriend, a psychological thriller starring and directed by Robin Wright, with Olivia Cooke co-starring. Praising the cast and direction, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle director called the six-part series “a phenomenal piece of work.” The Girlfriend lands on the September TV schedule on the 10th, and all you need is a Prime Video subscription to enjoy it.

Gollum still looms largest, though, and Andy Serkis seems amused rather than weighed down. The character’s “precious” pull has followed him everywhere, and he treats it as a privilege—one he’s happy to be the ring-bearer for.