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Posted on 03/25/2026 9:06:28 AM PDT by sopo
Peter Jackson gave a promising video update on Andy Serkis' progress on The Hunt for Gollum, the next chapter in The Lord of the Rings cinematic saga. "The script is coming together really well, and I think it's going to be a really good film," Jackson teased, before bringing on Stephen Colbert to announce another new LOTR film. The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, developed by Colbert and his son, Peter, will depict chapters 3-8 of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, which did not appear in Jackson's original film trilogy. Let the hunt officially commence — almost.
Peter Jackson re-emerged from his Hobbit hole to give an exciting update on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and share behind-the-scenes footage from the film. Two years after the announcement of the new live-action LOTR spinoff with Jackson producing and Gollum actor Andy Serkis directing and starring, fans are closer than ever to returning to author J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.
"We've got a lot of the old team back again, familiar faces and some new faces. But Andy's doing a terrific job, it's looking amazing. The script is coming together really well, and I think it's going to be a really good film," Jackson teased in his video, before welcoming an unexpected, A-list LOTR fan to follow-up on another announcement — first hinted at back in 2024 — that Gollum "is not the only Tolkien movie that we're developing."
Stephen Colbert, introduced by the Oscar winner as his "special partner" in the new LOTR film, popped up on the screen below Jackson. The soon-departing host of the canceled Late Show With Stephen Colbert joined Jackson to discuss The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, the film that will follow Gollum.
A Warner Bros. release sent Tuesday included the official synopsis of the just-announced film: "Fourteen years after the passing of Frodo — Sam, Merry, and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began."
Pippin Took (Billy Boyd), Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood), Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), Merry Brandybuck (Dominic Monaghan) Pippin (Billy Boyd), Frodo (Elijah Wood), Samwise (Sean Astin), and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'. Max "The thing I found myself reading over and over again were the six chapters early on in [The Fellowship of the Ring] that y'all never developed into the first movie back in the day," Colbert explained. He pointed to chapter 3 of Tolkien's first Rings volume, "Three Is Company," through chapter 8, "Fog on the Barrow-Downs."
"I thought, 'Oh wait, maybe that could be its own story that could fit into the larger story. Could we make something that was completely faithful to the books, while also being completely faithful to the movies that you guys had already made?" Colbert wondered aloud. The answer is evidently yes.
Colbert said he worked on the idea with his son Peter, a screenwriter. The two showed what they mocked up to Jackson, who "liked it enough to talk to me about it," then onto original LOTR co-screenwriter Philippa Boyens, up to the top brass at New Line and Warner Bros.
"I could not be happier to say that they loved it," Colbert said. "And so that's what we're gonna be working on."
Jackson joked, "Now are you sure you've got the time, though?" to which Colbert replied, "It turns out I'm gonna be free, starting this summer."
THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Gollum Gollum in 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' (2012). Warner Bros. Pictures The same week that Warner Bros. announced The Hunt for Gollum back in 2024, the studio conceded to fan pressure, removing its temporary block of a wildly popular fan-made LOTR riff also called The Hunt for Gollum. The 40ish-minute film centered on Aragorn, the valiant Ranger played by Viggo Mortensen in the film trilogy, carrying out Gandalf's wishes to track down the wily former Hobbit before he can nab the titular ring from Frodo.
It's unclear whether Serkis' Hunt for Gollum plays out the same story, albeit at a thousand times the budget and in good legal graces with Warner Bros.
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Tuesday's Hunt for Gollum announcement, unfortunately, does not clear up fervent fan speculation over which trilogy stars might be trekking back into the franchise, aside from showing Serkis filming a motion-capture performance from Gollum.
IAN McKELLEN as the Wizard Gandalf the Grey Ian McKellen as Gandalf in 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". Todd Eyre/ Warner Bros Ian McKellen, who played the wise wizard Gandalf in the Jackson films, kindled hope in hearts across the world when he teased at a fan event last August that "there's a character in [The Hunt for Gollum] called Frodo, and there's a character in the movie called Gandalf."
McKellen's Grey Wanderer and Elijah Wood's unlikely hero from Hobbiton are two of the most beloved characters from the films, even across the entire, ranging mythology originally spun by Tolkien. Warner Bros. would not respond to Entertainment Weekly's request for comment on McKellen's suggestion that they may return, but Wood took a crack.
"I can neither confirm nor deny. Listen, a wizard is to be trusted. Aside from any of that, I'm not really allowed to confirm," the actor shared at a separate fan event in January. Wood later noted that he "certainly wouldn't want anybody else to play Frodo either as long as I'm alive and able" — a sentiment shared last year by Orlando Bloom, who said of The Hunt for Gollum, "I'd hate to see anyone else play Legolas."
Gollum in Lord of The Rings Andy Serkis as the Hobbit Sméagol, before transforming into Gollum in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'. Warner Bros. Aside from Jackson and Serkis, other LOTR luminaries are back on board for The Hunt for Gollum: Oscar winners Boyens and Fran Walsh, who co-wrote the original trilogy screenplays alongside Jackson and Stephen Sinclair, returned to co-write Gollum. Walsh and Boyens instead co-wrote Gollum Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou, co-writers of animated feature The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
McKellen also said in a 2024 interview that The Hunt for Gollum would be split into two films. It's an assertion that Boyens categorically denied in an interview the same year with Empire: "I can tell you definitively it isn't two films," she said, promising "quite an intense story, which falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines of Moria."
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NOPE
Even in the epic movie adaptations the relationship between Frodo and sam I’ve always seemed kind of homo erotic. I’m sure he will expand on that.
Pass.
I would rather jump in a barrel of razor blades.
Jackson did such a bang-up job inventing crap for the three Hobbit films, I can only imagine the wonders he will create when he has four sentences of original source material to work with. Gotta be good for at least six movies.
Will Sauron now have an orange comb over?
There must be some old grocery lists and phone message post-its by Tolkien lying around that can be adapted into a new movie trilogy or two.
Given the timing of this announcement, I’m wondering if this is Hollyweird’s payback for the public refusing to eat their Starfleet Acaadwmy crap sandwich.
Like the Amazon horror, Rings of Power, this Jackson movie could only lead to a mess.
Golum, an ugly woman precursor Hobbit, is wrongfully declared a murderer when her birthday present is stolen. Over many centuries of hardship and mistreatment, she becomes a proto-male something or other and in the end finds Its ring and fights to keep it from the rapacious Hobbit and his trans-lover, the oligarchical system and the capitalist rapists.
In the end, Golum becomes a martyr for the rights of LGBTT+++++++++ and a fire god figure.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s vision has once again been put out on the corner to shake that money maker..............I can hear the production meeting now...’golem needs to be more...more..relatable.’
Jackson peaked with ROTK and King Kong IMHO, he’s been going downhill fast ever since.
I be Gandalf and Radagst express their undying love for each other in this one.
Unfortunately.
Most likely.
Who exactly will go see this? Tolkein fans are a hard pass after that Hobbit shit sandwich. Young people? Not a chance.
Rings of Power has no fans, so that’s out. Ah the coveted Gollum fanbase and those who want to see a bunch of old guys with deaged faces walking like the old guy in Benny Hill.
Also interesting that they wanted til after MEGACON Orlando was over.
Woke did not do well there this past weekend...
FLUSH goes the money
James Carville will be cast as Gollum
Leslie Jones will be cast as Sauron.
Sounds like a you problem.
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