After The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, fans were thrilled to revisit Middle-earth in The Hobbit trilogy, but one mystery lingered: what happened in the years between? The Hunt for Gollum steps into that gap, taking birth from J.R.R. Tolkien's footnotes. Set in the 17 years in between, it will follow Aragorn on a covert mission to track Gollum across the shadows of Middle-earth.

From the hands building this fantasy for the screens, it seems the story is in good hands, with the script even earning praise from Peter Jackson himself.

Speaking on the occasion of Tolkien Reading Day and the symbolic anniversary of the destruction of the One Ring, Peter Jackson’s remarks underscored both his confidence in Andy Serkis’ dual role behind and in front of the camera and his expectation that the film will live up to the tone and texture of the original trilogy.

"Andy is doing a terrific job. It is looking amazing. The script is coming together really well, and I think it is going to be a really good film", Jackson said, offering one of his most direct endorsements of Serkis’ return to Middle-earth as director and star. 

The Hunt for Gollum is set between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, focusing on Gollum’s journey and the wider hunt for him by Aragorn, an episode only briefly sketched in Tolkien’s appendices. Warner Bros. has scheduled the film for a December 17, 2027, theatrical release, shifting it a year from its original 2026 window to allow more time for script development and production.

Jackson, alongside Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, is producing and deeply involved in shaping the story, while Serkis both directs and reprises his performance-capture role as Gollum, shooting the film in New Zealand to maintain continuity with the look and feel of the earlier Lord of the Rings and Hobbit cycles.

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While Peter Jackson is excited about The Hunt for Gollum, he also revealed details about the next film in the series.

Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have confirmed The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past as the official title for the project that will follow Andy Serkis’ Gollum-centric film, with Jackson and much of his original trilogy team returning as producers. The track-recorded segment presents Shadow of the Past not as a standalone spin-off, but as a direct successor that extends the screen saga beyond the hunt for Gollum.

According to studio materials, The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past is set roughly 14 years after Frodo departs from the Undying Lands and will see Sam, Merry, and Pippin retrace the early steps of their adventures, while Sam’s daughter Elanor uncovers a long-buried secret that sheds light on why the War of the Ring nearly ended in disaster before it truly began.

The screenplay is being co-written by Philippa Boyens, Peter McGee, and late-night host Stephen Colbert, with the project produced through Jackson’s New Zealand-based WingNut Films in partnership with Colbert’s Spartina. Together, The Hunt for Gollum and Shadow of the Past form a new, Jackson-led chapter in the live-action Middle-earth saga, bridging the lore-rich gaps between books and films.

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What do you think about Peter Jackson praising The Hunt for Gollum? Let us know in the comments.