“We're very early on in the process. We've been talking about the film over the course of the last year. We’re about to start a period of prep in the next few months or so. We will be shooting in the early to mid-part of next year, I guess, and then it'll be as long as it takes to shoot, which — it's a sizeable movie — all ready for a December 2027 release. I'm incredibly excited to go back and work with my friends and family in New Zealand and actually do something which is, I think, going to be surprising, and yet very much part of the lore and the feel of the trilogy. The sensibility of it will feel, I think, close to that, and yet we're investigating in greater depth the character formerly known as Smeagol, but mostly known as Gollum.”

The Lord of the Rings prequel movie The Hunt for Gollum will include the characters of Gandalf and Frodo, the legendary actor Ian McKellen has confirmed.

The surprise casting details were announced by Gandalf himself during a Lord of the Rings panel at London's For the Love of Fantasy fan convention this weekend, where McKellen and Frodo actor Elijah Wood were in attendance.

There, McKellen stood up to address the audience and offer up fresh details of The Hunt for Gollum, including a new start date for its New Zealand-set shoot, and confirmation that two members of the Fellowship will be in the movie, to whoops and cheers from fans.

"Well, I hear there's going to be another movie set in Middle-earth," McKellen began. "And it's going to start to filming in May. It's going to be directed by Gollum, and it's all about Gollum."

Here, McKellen is referring to the fact that returning Gollum actor Andy Serkis will also be in the director's chair for the movie, after previously serving as a second unit director on Peter Jackson's Hobbit film trilogy.

"And I'll tell you two secrets about casting," McKellen continued. "There's a character in the movie called Frodo. And there's another character called Gandalf. And apart from that my lips are sealed."

dominicronnette wrote:

I’m really excited about this news. Having Peter Jackson and the original team back gives a lot of confidence, and the focus on Gollum sounds like a fresh angle. I just hope the films keep the epic spirit and emotional depth of the originals.

Eye_of_the_Black_Tower wrote:

Peter Jackson isn’t directing this

tristandorine wrote:

Having Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens along with Andy Serkis return to make Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is the best guarantee of quality, and I have every confidence in their ability to honor Tolkien's legacy properly.

tristandorine wrote:

Having Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens along with Andy Serkis return to make Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is the best guarantee of quality, and I have every confidence in their ability to honor Tolkien's legacy properly.