��һ�ǿ�����

Middle-earth is returning to its original home, with Warner Bros confirming the next Lord of the Rings film will be shot in New Zealand.

Announced by the studio last year, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will enter cinemas in just over two years and has an official release date of December 17, 2027.

Wētā FX told the Herald there’ll be “more to confirm in the coming months as the film moves into pre-production”.

English actor Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the original trilogy and in the first instalment of The Hobbit prequel, will direct the movie and star in its titular role.

Serkis told Collider the film has been in preparation for some time, with work expected to ramp up soon.

“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,” Serkis said, adding that it will be a “sizeable” production.

Andy Serkis believes there's a great future for untold stories of Middle-earth. Photo / Amanda Nieto, Sonna Studios

“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 feel of the trilogy.”

The Hunt for Gollum will be the first live-action Lord of the Rings film that isn’t directed by Aotearoa’s homegrown director Sir Peter Jackson.

Jackson, widely considered the creative force behind the hit franchise, will instead produce the film alongside Dame Fran Walsh and screenwriter Philippa Boyens.

• Lord of the Rings composer warns fans not to attend unauthorised concerts
• New Lord of the Rings films in the works at Warner Bros
• Lord of the Rings costumes displayed in Wellington for 20 year anniversary

Said to be intricately tied to the film’s development, Warner Bros confirmed the Kiwi trio will be “involved every step of the way”.

Having worked on all previous Lord of the Rings movies, they’ll help guide Serkis in making sure The Hunt for Gollum is reflective of the previous films’ magic and allure.

Poised as one of the most expensive future films to be shot in New Zealand, Warner Bros did not respond to questions regarding how The Hunt for Gollum’s production might be impacted by US President Donald Trump’s proposal for a 100% tariff on foreign-made films.

Sir Peter Jackson (in checked shirt) will produce the new film alongside Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Photo / Amanda Nieto, Sonna Studios

Meanwhile, the New Zealand Film Commission said it has not yet received an application for a New Zealand Screen Production Rebate (NZSPR).

Confirmation of The Hunt for Gollum also makes it the first live-action Lord of the Rings movie since 2014, when the release of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies completed the prequel trilogy.

Amazon Prime Video acquired the television rights to the series in 2017 and began shooting The Rings of Power in New Zealand between 2020 and 2021.

It has since moved production for all following seasons to Britain.

A standalone animated prequel called The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim debuted in cinemas December last year, but garnered mixed reviews and became the franchise’s only box office bomb with US$20.7 million ($34.2m) in ticket sales against a US$30m budget.

Tom Rose is an Auckland-based journalist who covers breaking news, specialising in lifestyle, entertainment and travel. He joined the Herald in 2023.