Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum Officially Wraps Filming

Published Nov 11, 2026, 1:30 PM EST Willa Rowe is a contributing writer at Polygon, covering games and entertainment. She is a New York-based journalist and critic whose work has been featured in Kotaku, Digital Trends, the A.V. Club, GamesRadar+, and more. She also co-hosts the Girl Mode podcast. Director Andy Serkis has revealed his Lord of the Rings spinoff has passed a major production milestone Image: Paramount Pictures Sign in to your Polygon.com account We are one step closer to seeing a new Lord of the Rings film in theaters. Andy Serkis has confirmed that principal photography on The Hunt for Gollum has been completed, which he is directing in addition to reprising the titular role that made him famous. The movie is currently slated to be released on Dec. 17, 2027. Serkis broke the news during an interview on The Morning Mosh Pit, adding that he won't say too much about the film right now, because promoting it will be his focus all of next year. He did say that making The Hunt for Gollum has been "an incredible journey," which feels apt for a Lord of the Rings film. Jamie Dornan, who will take over the role of Aragorn from Viggo Mortensen for the film, similarly revealed to Variety that he had finished shooting his scenes about three weeks ago. Dornan is an interesting part of The Hunt for Gollum, as one of the only actors stepping into a role played by someone else in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. In addition to Serkis, both Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen are returning for the film to reprise their roles as Frodo Baggins and Gandalf, respectively. They'll all be joined by several newcomers playing original characters we haven't seen in live-action before, such as Kate Winslet as Marigol, Leo Woodall as Halvard, and Anya Taylor-Joy as Seren. The film is going to be something of an interquel to The Fellowship of the Ring, following Aragorn as Gandfalf sends him to capture Gollum to gain information on the One Ring. Andy Serkis talks Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Image: Sandfall Interactive/Kepler Interactive While Serkis is best known for his roles in films like Lord of the Rings and Planet of the Apes, the actor has long been a fan of video games, even lending his talents to a number of titles over the years. Most recently, that included Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, in which he provided the English voice for the antagonist Renoir. Serkis said that he thinks the game is "a beautiful piece of work," but admitted he still hasn't had a chance to actually play it himself. As for other projects Serkis has coming up, he is also set to reprise his role as Alfred in The Batman Part 2. The Robert Pattinson vehicle has been through a number of delays, most recently after director Matt Reeves had to step away from production. After Steven Soderbergh stepped in to complete filming, production resumed in London. During earlier filming, a stand-in for Serkis was seen on set for The Batman Part 2, but now that The Hunt for Gollum has finished shooting, it is expected the actor will film his scenes for the DC project, due in theaters Feb. 18, 2028.