Entertainment
Lord of the Rings to Return in 2026 With Two New Films
New Line and Warner Brothers announced Thursday that two new films set in the magical worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” book series are in the works.
Director Peter Jackson and screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who helmed the blockbuster “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy in the early 2000s, will collaborate to produce the two upcoming films.
Andy Serkis, a former “Lord of the Rings” actor, will star in and direct the first new film, provisionally titled “The Hunt for Gollum.” Serkis voiced and motion captured the titular creature in the first film series. Walsh and Boyens will create the screenplay alongside Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.
Serkis announced the news on Instagram, including a photo of himself posing with his “Lord of the Rings” avatar. “We is baaaaak, Precious!,” he wrote in the caption. The “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” star said in a press release that he is delighted to reunite with Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens, whom he described as “incomparable guardians of Middle-earth.”
“It’s just all too delicious,” he said, previewing Lord of the Rings return to its New Zealand sets.
In a joint statement, Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens echoed the sentiment, saying “it is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator” Serkis.
Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line did not release any other details on the second picture.
The original “Lord of the Rings” trilogy from the early 2000s was not just a box-office smash, but also an awards-circuit sensation. The franchise got 30 Academy Award nominations for its three films and won 17 Oscars.
“The Return of the King” won best picture at the 76th Academy Awards, 20 years ago. Jackson won his first directing Oscar for the picture.
Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy commended the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy’s continuing effect and expressed their continuous commitment to bringing Tolkien’s words to the screen with Serkis’ “The Hunt for Gollum.”
“We continue an important commitment to excellence that is a true hallmark of how we all want to venture ahead and further contribute to the ‘Lord of the Rings’ cinematic history,” the two of them stated in a statement.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav reportedly said in an earnings call on Thursday that “The Hunt for Gollum” will be released in 2026.
