Hunt for Gollum’ With Andy Serkis

Kate Winslet is venturing from Pandora to Middle-earth.

The beloved actress, who was recently in James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” is in talks to star in “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.” She’ll join Andy Serkis, who is directing in addition to reprising his role as the creature from the original trilogy. Warner Bros. hasn’t confirmed who will appear in the upcoming film, but Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen are rumored to be returning as Frodo Baggins and Gandalf, respectively.

Peter Jackson, who originally adapted the J. R. R. Tolkien novel for the big screen, is producing “The Hunt for Gollum” with his creative partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. They “will be involved every step of the way,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said during a 2024 earnings call.

This project will reunite Winslet with Jackson, who directed her in 1994’s “Heavenly Creatures.”

“The Hunt for Gollum” is slated to release in theaters on Dec. 17, 2027. Plot details haven’t been confirmed but the story is reportedly set between the events of “The Hobbit” and “The Fellowship of the Ring.”

Warner Bros. is in the process of being sold to Paramount Skydance, which could throw the studio’s development slate into disarray. However the potential merger is unlikely to interrupt plans for “The Hunt for Gollum” because “Lord of the Rings” is one of the premier film franchises at Warner Bros. Its “Lord of the Rings” and prequel series “The Hobbit” were major box office winners with each trilogy grossing around $2.8 billion at the global box office.