Summary
- The Hunt for Gollum's release date is December 17, 2027, coinciding with The Return of the King, marking a long-awaited return to Middle-earth.
- Original fellowship producers and Andy Serkis are reuniting for the spinoff, set during The Fellowship of the Ring, exploring Gollum's role.
- The film was delayed to 2027 for prep work, maintaining the franchise's tradition of December releases, but fans' anticipation remains high for future spinoffs.
Light the beacons, because Warner Bros. And New Line Cinema have finally announced a release date for The Lord of the Rings franchise’s highly anticipated outing, The Hunt for Gollum. The best part? This return to Middle-earth is slated for the same day as the Return of the King. The not-so-best part? It’s going to be a long journey.
The Lord of the Rings spinoff reunites the original fellowship of producers Peter Jackson, Philippa Boyens, and Fran Walsh, with Andy Serkis both reprising his role as the creature Gollum and directing the film. The Hunt For Gollum is set during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), after Bilbo Baggins’ eleventy-first birthday party, when Gandalf asks Aragorn to find Gollum because he might have information about Bilbo’s ring, which he suspects is the One Ring.
LOTR: The Hunt For Gollum Is A Step In The Wrong Direction
Re-treading old ground in the world of LOTR is not the right move, and yet the Hunt for Gollum is just that.
When Is The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum Releasing?
The Hunt for Gollum, much like its predecessors in the franchise, is going to be a pre-Christmas baby, with December 17, 2027, set as its official release date in cinemas, as reported by Deadline. The screenplay is written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou (who also wrote the script for the anime prequel Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim), and executive produced by Ken Kamins, Jonathan Cavendish (The Imaginarium), and Andy Serkis.
The film was originally set to release a year earlier. However, in February 2025, during a fan expo in Vancouver, Andy Serkis revealed that it wouldn’t be out until 2027 since there was a lot of prep work involved. The new release date is hardly a surprise for hardcore fans who’re aware of the pattern. All six of Peter Jackson’s films—the original trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy—have had December releases. But it’s a nice touch that Hunt For Gollum, the first live-action film in the Lord of the Rings franchise since The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, will release on the same day as The Return of the King did back in 2023.
For its fans, The Lord of the Rings franchise has been one that can do no wrong. Since The Hunt for Gollum was announced in 2024, fans have been excited to return to a familiar Middle-earth, especially since Amazon’s Rings of Power is still building its fanbase. On the other hand, despite being a bold new take, even the anime prequel War of the Rohirrim didn’t quite make its mark on the fan psyche.
The anticipation for The Hunt for Gollum has only risen, with actors like Ian McKellen expressing enthusiasm in reprising their roles if justified. There's fervent speculation about just how characters like Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn and Orlando Bloom’s Legolas could return for the spinoff and what other storylines could be explored in future spinoffs. However, December 2027 is an undeniably long wait, and with more spinoffs planned, the wait could shake fans' faith in the need to resurrect a franchise that is already perfect in every way.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- December 17, 2027
- Director
- Andy Serkis
- Writers
- Arty Papageorgiou, Phoebe Gittins, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, J.R.R. Tolkien
