What we know about the new ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movie, as Ian McKellen says he’s open to returning as Gandalf

“The Hunt for Gollum” is scheduled to be released in 2026.

Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav announced in an investor call in May that “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” would be released in 2026 and “explore storylines yet to be told,” Variety reported.

Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, will reprise his role and also direct the new film. Presumably, the movie will be a prequel as Gollum died at the end of 2003’s “The Return of the King.”

In a statement released in May, Serkis expressed his excitement about the project, noting that the director of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies, Peter Jackson, will produce the film alongside his writing partners, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.

“Yesssss, Precious. The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle-earth, Peter, Fran, and Philippa,” Serkis wrote. “With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our filmmaking family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious…”