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Andy Serkis offers major update on his Lord of the Rings prequel film The Hunt for Gollum and new actor in major role recast
"We’re finally up and running".
Warner Bros. Pictures
- Molly Moss
Published: Tuesday, 14 July 2026 at 11:48 am
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Andy Serkis has revealed a big production update on Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, while also opening up about the recasting of Aragorn in the upcoming film.
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The Lord of the Rings prequel movie, which is being directed by Serkis, will follow the events that took place between The Hobbit trilogy and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, when Aragorn and Gandalf set out on a quest to find the ring-obsessed creature.
In a new interview with Variety, Serkis revealed that filming kicked off last week in New Zealand. "We’ve literally just completed a week. We’re finally up and running, so it’s great. It’s really exciting," he said.
While Serkis and Ian McKellen are set to return as Gollum and Gandalf in the new film, Aragorn has been recast, with Jamie Dornan taking over from Viggo Mortensen.
Jamie Dornan. Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX
Speaking about Dornan, Serkis told the publication: "I’ve got to say, Jamie’s doing extremely well. He’s fantastic."
Alongside Serkis and McKellen, other returning characters include Elijah Wood (Frodo) and Lee Pace (King Thranduil).
Meanwhile, other newcomers to the cast alongside Dornan include Anya Taylor-Joy, who’s set to play Seren, “a trusted and lethal agent of King Thranduil”.
Kate Winslet and Leo Woodall are also set to appear as the matriarch of the Stoors Marigol and Dúnedain Halvard, respectively.
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While plot details remain scarce, Serkis said of the film in an interview this week with the BBC: “It is very much a deep dive into the psychology and history of Gollum before he became Gollum, but also with a very burning question from Gandalf about what the potential origin of this ring that Bilbo Baggins has is.”
He added: “The hunt takes place in two different dimensions really and that’s about as far as I can say at the moment."
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is coming to cinemas in December 2027.
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Authors
Molly MossTrends Writer
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
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