The Next Lord of the Rings Movie Has a Release Date (& It Keeps a Series Tradition Alive)

For a while, Lord of the Rings fans have known that Andy Serkis is preparing to helm a new film in the franchise — The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum — and now they know when they’ll be able to see it on the big screen. As part of sweeping updates to its release calendar (via Variety), Warner Bros. has announced The Hunt for Gollum will premiere in theaters on December 17, 2027. That window is very familiar territory for the Lord of the Rings property; the original film trilogy from the 2000s and the Hobbit trilogy of the 2010s debuted in that pre-Christmas weekend as well.

Originally, The Hunt for Gollum was targeting a December 2026 release, but earlier this year Serkis confirmed that it was going to be delayed. In late February, he detailed that the creative team was only “at the beginning of the writing process” and prep work would take place later this year. Due to that lengthy process, production won’t start until 2026, necessitating the release date delay.

The Hunt for Gollum was first announced in May 2024. The story is an interquel that takes place during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. It chronicles Gandalf and Aragorn’s mission to locate Gollum after Gandalf discovers Bilbo was in possession of the One Ring. Other than Serkis reprising Gollum, no official casting announcements have been made. The producers are hopeful Lord of the Rings stars Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen could also return.

[RELATED – Hunt for Gollum Writer Clarifies Whether It’s Two Films, Teases More LOTR Movies]

Warner Bros. executives Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy provided an update on The Hunt for Gollum last month. They noted they had a “dynamite check-in” with producer Philippa Boyens and hoped to see a script soon.

It isn’t surprising to see Warner Bros. stake claim to a mid-December release date for The Hunt for Gollum. The Lord of the Rings franchise has had tremendous success in that window, as all six previous live-action films were major box office hits. Even though the Hobbit trilogy wasn’t nearly as widely acclaimed as Lord of the Rings, the three installments grossed well over $900 million worldwide each. Warner Bros. is clearly hoping to replicate that performance, positioning The Hunt for Gollum as its main tentpole for the 2027 holiday season. Especially if there’s a way to bring McKellen and Mortensen back, Serkis’ film should be able to capitalize heavily on the nostalgia factor.

Locking in the December release date now also gives WB a jump start on the competition. There’s no new Avatar movie opening in 2027, so that pre-Christmas weekend was ripe for the taking. As of this writing, there’s still an untitled Star Wars movie slated for that date, but those plans will likely change now — especially considering Lucasfilm’s announcements during Star Wars Celebration Japan. Before another studio decided to slot their tentpole there, Warner Bros. struck first. Hopefully, The Hunt for Gollum will be able to stay on track from here on out, and audiences can head back to Middle-earth in a couple of years.