Overview

• The update was unveiled during Warner Bros. Discovery’s Q2 earnings call on August 8
• Serkis has been involved since the project’s inception and will reprise Gollum while making his feature directing debut
• The interquel story bridges The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring by tracking Gandalf and Aragorn’s mission to locate Gollum
• Original trilogy collaborators Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are leading the creative team to ensure fidelity to Tolkien’s world
• Principal photography is slated for early to mid-2026 in New Zealand ahead of a December 17, 2027 release as the first of two new Middle-earth films