New Line Cinema

The next "Lord of the Rings" movie gets release date

By Chris Morgan | Last updated May 8, 2025 5:10 PM ET

Nothing ever dies in film, and hobbits have a long life anyway. Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings" trilogy was a massive success both commercially and critically. "Return of the King" stacked Oscars while also making hundreds of millions of dollars. This led to Jackson getting to make not one, but three, movies built out of "The Hobbit," which is not exactly a Stephen King book in terms of length. Amazon spent "Sending Katy Perry to space" money on a "Lord of the Rings" TV show, and there was an animated film that came out in 2024.

Now, though, a big-time "Lord of the Rings" movie is on the horizon looking to tap into the love for the original trilogy. "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum" is on its way, and it has a release date of December 17, 2027.

That's right, it's Gollum time to shine! Where this falls in the timeline of Middle Earth we don't know for sure, but obviously it's before the end of "Return of the King." Unless, of course, Gollum is about to pull an Emperor Palpatine.

Peter Jackson is producing along with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, with Walsh and Boyens writing the screenplay. Jackson isn't directing, though. Instead, Andy Serkis is both directing and starring. That's right, Gollum is directing himself! Serkis has directed before, though his biggest film to date is "Venom: Let There Be Carnage." He may want to reel in "The Hunt for Gollum" a bit compared to that one.

While "The Hunt for Gollum" is still a bit of a ways away, having it on the docket for 2027 is notable. It's also notable, but not surprising, that it is being positioned as Christmas movie. That is the time on the calendar these movies have been released in since the beginning. If it's a "Lord of the Rings" movie, it's gunning for the holiday corridor. So, in 2027, you can round up the family and go see what Gollum is up to. Probably eating fish and being mad at hobbits.

(h/t Deadline)

Chris Morgan

Chris Morgan is a Detroit-based culture writer who has somehow managed to justify getting his BA in Film Studies. He has written about sports and entertainment across various internet platforms for years and is also the author of three books about '90s television.

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