Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will not be “just the fourth film in the [original] trilogy” of Lord of the Rings films.

Earlier this month, Warner Bros. announced that Andy Serkis is directing a brand-new Lord of the Rings film titled Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. The film will be written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou, though Peter Jackson will oversee the project

Speaking with Deadline, Boyens, Serkis, and Jackson discussed what their vision for Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum may possibly entail.

“There’s nobody else you can think of who knows what goes into that character and we know what he brings to it and brings to the whole world of Middle-earth,” Boyens stated. “Andy is going to have a really interesting take. It’s going to be his own take, because what we don’t want this film to be is just the fourth film in the trilogy. This film has to work in its own way. And that’s our job. That’s what we are going to have to be able to do. I know there’s plenty of people out there who will be like, oh no, why are they doing this? Why are they going back in? Well, that’s our job, to prove why we think that it’s a good idea.”

The Hunt for Gollum could function some fan-favored Lord of the Rings characters

Serkis didn’t reveal no matter whether or not any other characters from the original Lord of the Rings trilogy of The Hobbit will return for the new film having said that, he is not ruling out the possibility, either.

“We’re really in the nascent stages of what it is exactly where we’re doing, and where the story’s going to take us,” he stated. “So I don’t want to commit anything right now. I mean, because it’s so raw and so raw and wriggling, and we are just literally having very early state script discussions and ideas of exactly where and how we’re going to drop anchor with the character and his journey and how he is or comes into contact with other characters, and the characters that we know and don’t know. So still, I would hate to say anything that’s going to commit us at this point, because it’s literally all up for grabs.”

Jackson, meanwhile, stated The Hunt for Gollum will discover the character in a way the original trilogy didn’t have time to cover.

“The Gollum/Sméagol character has always fascinated me because Gollum reflects the worst of human nature, whilst his Sméagol side is, arguably, quite sympathetic,” Jackson stated. “I think he connects with readers and film audiences alike, because there’s a little bit of both of them in all of us. We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn’t have time to cover in the earlier films. It’s too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take our lead from Professor Tolkien.” 

Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will be released in 2026.