It’s hard to believe a new LOTR movie is coming down the pipeline. It’s been well over a decade since Tolkien’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies hit theaters back in 2014, and we’re four years out since Amazon brought Rings of Power to the screen for those with a Prime subscription. Soon though, Andy Serkis will be back as Gollum, and you know what that means. OK, if you don’t, it means he’s back in the Mocap suit for what feels like the bajillionth time.
Honestly, at this point, Andy Serkis is basically synonymous with the Mocap look, but it sounds like it was a long and hard-fought battle to be taken seriously with the kind of work he really excels at. He’s said when he first showed up in the lycra suit with the dots all over his face, Peter Jackson and co. were “laughing” at him. Even SNL poked fun at him. It was a whole thing.
Years later, though, it’s become a well-recognized and useful skill, and he recently inspired Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum’s writer on the set.
I was on the Mocap stage, and I said to Andy, ‘Right, assume the position.’ I cannot believe how fit that guy is as he clambered up the structure.’ It’s ridiculous. I’m like, ‘Can you start aging?’
From what Philippa Boyens told Empire Magazine as the movie was getting off the ground for pre-production earlier in 2026, she was shocked at how well Serkis is still moving while playing Gollum these days. I totally get it. Not to be a naysayer, but Andy Serkis is 62, man. I know a lot of 62-year-olds who are still out there hiking and exercising relatively hard still, so it's not like him being in shape is a big deal. However, hunching down and walking around on all fours as Gollum is a whole different story. My back and knees hurt just thinking about it.
Yet the actor and director really wanted to do The Hunt for Gollum. Not only is he playing Gollum but he’s directing this time around for a movie that’s expected to hit the upcoming theatrical schedule in 2027. Elijah Wood has called it “appropriate.”. For Serkis himself, it’s a big deal.
[It’s a big deal] revisiting a character that has never really left me, and this time stepping into the directorial shoes of the man who created these important movies that have affected so many people’s lives over the course of the last quarter of a century.
When I envision Andy Serkis in my mind, I actually think about the white and orange garbs he wears in Andor first. But second to that is him in a bunch of BTS interviews in a Mocap suit. Between Planet of the Apes, Star Wars’ Snoke, and LOTR he’s very practiced with that look at this point, and who knows how many more opportunities he’ll have to use such a rare and unique talent? I’m super excited to see him get the chance to step into Gollum’s shoes – or I guess bare feet – one more time.
