Summary
Light the beacons, because Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have finally announced a release date forThe Lord of the Ringsfranchise’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.
TheLord of the Ringsspinoff 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 ofThe 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.
When IsThe Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for GollumReleasing?
The Hunt for Gollum, much like its predecessors in the franchise, is going to be a pre-Christmas baby, with June 17, 2025, set as its official release date in cinemas,as reported byDeadline. The screenplay is written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou (who also wrote the script for the anime prequelLord 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 andThe Hobbittrilogy—have had December releases. But it’s a nice touch thatHunt For Gollum,the first live-action film in theLord of the Ringsfranchise sinceThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, will release on the same day asThe Return of the Kingdid back in 2023.
For its fans,The Lord of the Ringsfranchise has been one that can do no wrong. SinceThe Hunt for Gollumwas announced in 2024, fans have been excited to return to a familiar Middle-earth, especially sinceAmazon’sRings of Poweris still building its fanbase. On the other hand, despite being a bold new take, even the anime prequelWar of the Rohirrimdidn’t quite make its mark on the fan psyche.
The anticipation forThe Hunt for Gollumhas 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' faithin the need to resurrect a franchise that is already perfect in every way.
