Gollum Returns to Theaters in 2027 and We’re Ready to Follow Him Into the Darkness

Gather round, my fellow Middle-earth obsessives, because we're officially headed back to the Shire (and the shadows) on December 17, 2027. That's the new release date for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and no, I can't wait that long.

Originally slated for 2026, this upcoming live-action entry in the LOTR cinematic universe will be directed by none other than Andy Serkis himself. Yes, the actual Gollum. The man. The myth. The mocap legend. He's back in the director's chair and likely back in the digital onesie too, ready to hiss, crawl, and obsess over jewelry in glorious next-gen graphics. Just imagine what Gollum will look like with 2027-level rendering power. We're talking ultra-high-def, every-pore-on-his-slimy-head kind of detail.

The story is set between Bilbo's chaotic birthday party and the moment the Fellowship sets out on their journey. Smack in that mysterious window where Gollum is being tracked and hunted, which sounds incredibly intense and way more personal than the epic war stuff we're used to.

Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens are all involved, so this isn't just some random studio cash-grab, this has the DNA of the originals baked in. We don't know who else is in it yet, but if Aragorn shows up, or we get even a whiff of Gandalf again, I might actually stand up in the theater and start applauding. 

Look, I know we've all been burned before (cough the Gollum video game cough), but this? This feels different. This feels right. This feels… precious.