I don’t think I need to explain just how dedicated fans of Lord of the Rings are about their beloved books and movies. Those fans have gotten an early glimpse into the next movie in the franchise, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and to say that people are excited would be an understatement. The film, which is scheduled to hit the 2027 movie schedule next December, is directed by Andy Serkis (who also plays Gollum, of course). He recently shared some behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram, and the comments tell you everything you need to know.
The post, which is accompanied by music from The Return of the King by composer Howard Shore, features shots around the Shire set in New Zealand, where filming is currently underway:
Scrolling through the comments, you get a sense of how excited fans are:
- Right back where we belong ❤️
- I’m literally just waiting for this to release 😭🥹
- I can’t wait ❤️
- Return of The Shire
- Can’t wait to go back to Middle-earth 🥹😍❤️
- Oh my goshhhhhh this is exactly what my soul needed
- Can’t explain what this music does for my soul
The film has a stacked cast. Serkis will be joined by new actors and returning cast members from the previous films, including Ian McKellen (Gandalf the Grey), Jamie Dornan (Strider), Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Kate Winslet (Marigol), Leo Woodall (Halvard), Lee Pace (Thranduil), and Anya Taylor-Joy, who plays Seren and is as excited as all the fans to be in the movie.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is a new story set in J.R.R. Tolkien's Third Age, told from the perspective of the villain Gollum, and is partly inspired by The Joker. It starts in the time period between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy and concludes in the same time period as The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Strider is sent by Gandalf to find Gollum.
It's set for release on December 17, 2027, and I'm sure the anticipation will reach a fevered pitch over the next 15 months. I'm also sure that Serkis and co. will continue to drop more teasers and photos to keep that excitement building. Serkis has a real love for the character that he first voiced in The Fellowship of the Ring, and then played properly in the next two movies in the franchise. So you know great care is going into how the story is presented.
If you need to catch up on the original trilogy and just want to rewatch all of them (as well as The Hobbit trilogy, they are available with an HBO Max subscription.
