Ready to head back to Middle-earth?
Two new films set in the fantastical realms of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” book series are in development, New Line and Warner Bros. announced Thursday. Director Peter Jackson and screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who oversaw the blockbuster “Lord of the Rings” screen trilogy in the early 2000s, will reunite to produce the pair of upcoming movies.
“Lord of the Rings” alum Andy Serkis will star in and direct the first new film, tentatively titled “The Hunt for Gollum.” In the original movie series, Serkis lent his voice and performed the motion capture for the big-eyed and scantily-clad titular creature. Walsh and Boyens will pen the screenplay with writers Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.
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Serkis shared the news on Instagram, sharing a photo of himself posing with his “Lord of the Rings” character. “We is baaaaak, Precious!,” he captioned the photo. The “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” star said in a press release that he is excited to reunite with Jackson, Walsh and Boyens, whom he called “incomparable guardians of Middle Earth.”
“It’s just all too delicious,” he added, after teasing the franchise’s return to its New Zealand sets.
In a joint statement, Jackson, Walsh and Boyens reciprocated the sentiment, noting “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 reveal more information about the second film.
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The original “Lord of the Rings” trilogy in the early aughts was more than a box-office behemoth, it was also an awards-circuit marvel. The franchise received 30 Academy Award nominations across its three films and took home 17 Oscars. At the 76th Academy Awards 20 years ago, “The Return of the King” won best picture. Jackson earned his first directing Oscar for the film.
Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy praised the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy’s lasting impact and voiced continued devotion 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,” De Luca and Abdy said in a statement.
Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav reportedly announced in an earnings call on Thursday that “The Hunt for Gollum” is slated to be released in 2026.
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Alexandra Del Rosario is an entertainment reporter on the Los Angeles Times Fast Break Desk. Before The Times, she was a television reporter at Deadline Hollywood, where she first served as an associate editor. She has written about a wide range of topics including TV ratings, casting and development, video games and AAPI representation. Del Rosario is a UCLA graduate and also worked at the Hollywood Reporter and TheWrap.
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