Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have officially set a release date for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, bringing Sméagol’s compelling journey to theaters on December 17, 2027.

This announcement places the premiere more than two years away, marking at least a one-year delay from its previously scheduled 2026 debut. Despite this postponement, devoted fantasy fans are already envisioning how they’ll celebrate Christmas 2027 with this cinematic event.

Directed by Andy Serkis—known for Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle—The Hunt for Gollum will also see him reprising his iconic role as Gollum. A motion-capture pioneer, Serkis has portrayed the tormented character in both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, and will now lead this film as both actor and director.

Serkis won’t be venturing into Middle-earth alone. Joining him as producers are The Lord of the Rings veterans Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Zane Weiner. The screenplay is being crafted by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou—ensuring a deep connection to Tolkien's world.

When it comes to story details, Peter Jackson gave fans a glimpse of what’s to come. The film aims to explore characters' pasts that weren’t fully covered in earlier adaptations.

“We really want to explore [Gollum’s] backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn’t have time to cover in the earlier films,” Jackson explained. “It’s too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take our lead from [original author J.R.R. Tolkien].”

The Lord of the Rings Movies in (Chronological) Order

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As Warner Bros. expands its slate of future Lord of the Rings films, The Hunt for Gollum—and potentially other titles—could bring back additional familiar faces. Among them, Gandalf is a strong contender to appear, with Philippa Boyens revealing to Empire last October that the wizard could make appearances in up to two live-action films. If plans align, he may even be portrayed once again by the original actor, Ian McKellen.

With The Hunt for Gollum now set for a December 2027 release, audiences will need to wait patiently before stepping back into Middle-earth. In the meantime, fans can stay engaged with Amazon Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which was confirmed to return for Season 3 earlier this year.