What you need to know about the movie “The Lord of the Rings” “The Hunt for Gollum”

The release of “The Hunt for Gollum” is scheduled for 2026.

Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav announced during a conference call with investors in May that “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt of Gollum” would be released in 2026 and would “explore storylines yet to be told,” Variety reported.

Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, will reprise his role and also direct the new film. It will likely be a prequel, since Gollum died at the end of 2003’s “Return of the King.”

In a statement released in May, Serkis expressed his excitement for the project, noting that “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogy director Peter Jackson will produce the film alongside his writing partners, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.

“Yessssss, Precious. The time has come to venture once again into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable Guardians of Middle-earth, Peter, Fran and Philippa,” Serkis wrote. “With Mike and Pam, and the team at Warner Bros. on the quest, alongside WETA and our filmmaking family in New Zealand, it’s simply delightful…”