The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly $6 billion blockbuster The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are reuniting to produce two new films from Tolkien’s Middle-earth. 

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (Working title) will be directed by and star Andy Serkis (Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle), with Walsh and Boyens set to write the screenplay, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim).

The film will be executive produced by Ken Kamins, with Serkis and The Imaginarium’s Jonathan Cavendish.

“We’re delighted that our partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema has allowed for such a creative collaboration. Continuing to explore the fertile world of Middle-earth under the stewardship of the incomparable Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & team is hugely exciting for all parties and most importantly, for the fans who we believe will be elated with the news. Middle-earth Enterprises is committed to creating an environment where the world’s leading artists can create and thrive across a diverse form of media, and there can be no greater honor than continuing to explore the cinematic landscape of Middle-earth with such exceptional talent”, says Lee Guinchard, CEO Freemode and President of Middle-earth Enterprises.

Today’s announcement follows the previously announced news from February 2023, where Embracer confirmed that Middle-earth Enterprises and New Line Cinema were to further explore the cinematic universe of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

The first film is set for theatrical release in 2026.