A new series of live-action Lord of the Rings films will be led by a movie centred on Andy Serkis's Gollum.
Multiple outlets report that the new LOTR films are "now in the early stages of script development," per Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
Making the announcement during an earnings conference call today, Zaslav added that the films will "explore storylines yet to be told" and that the studio "[anticipates] releasing in 2026."
A subsequent press release reveals that the first film currently has the working title Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Serkis will both direct and star in the film, while original LOTR trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson and writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens will produce. Zaslav indicated during the call how the trio "will be involved every step of the way" on subsequent films.
Jackson, Walsh and Boyens shared in a statement, "It is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that Stinker — Gollum! As life-long fans of Professor Tolkien's vast mythology, we are proud to be working with Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy and the entire team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!"
"Yesssss, Precious," Serkis added. "The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle-earth Peter, Fran and Philippa. With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our filmmaking family in New Zealand, it's just all too delicious…"
Before the new slate of Middle-earth films arrive, the Kenji Kamiyama-directed animated feature The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will premiere in December.