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Andy Serkis explains the exceptional circumstance that made him direct new Lord of the Rings film with "modern resonance"
The actor and director was speaking exclusively to Radio Times about his new Animal Farm adaptation.
Warner Bros. Pictures
- Patrick Cremona
Published: Wednesday, 22 July 2026 at 12:48 pm
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There aren't too many people who have been more closely associated with the Lord of the Rings franchise over the years than Andy Serkis.
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After famously playing Gollum in the original trilogy and the Hobbit movies, he's now reprising his role and stepping behind the camera for an upcoming spin-off which will also see franchise legends Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood return to their iconic parts.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set for release in December 2027, and speaking exclusively about the film with Radio Times, Serkis revealed why he'd made the decision to become involved.
"The reason that I've wanted to come back and make another film with the team is because it's an exceptional circumstance," he explained during an interview to promote his new animated adaptation of Animal Farm.
"Tolkien is highly, highly honoured in the way that these films were made and respected. Some liberties are taken, but on the whole they're very truthful to [his work] which is why Lord of the Rings fans and Tolkien fans on the whole are very supportive of the movies."
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He continued: "But particularly with The Hunt for Gollum, he's such a morally complex and interesting character that has a modern resonance in terms of his duality, his dissociative disorders, his schizophrenia, his sense of being an outsider who finds love through power, and so it seems like a very relevant story to be telling."
Serkis added that it was "wonderful being back in New Zealand" where the film is currently shooting, adding that he's collaborating with "generations of people who have been working on Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit."
And asked about some of the cast members who were joining the film – including Jamie Dornan, who is taking over the role of Aragorn from Viggo Mortensen – Serkis explained that he couldn't go into too much detail.
Andy Serkis. ISABEL INFANTES/AFP via Getty Images
But he did add: "It is incredible to have all of our new cast members because they really... they're going to add a whole new dimension to this particular story."
While exact plot details have not been revealed at this stage, the film is set before and during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring and features Gandalf sending the ranger Strider (aka Aragorn) to hunt for Gollum.
The new cast members also include Kate Winslet as a mysterious character named Marigol, Leo Woodall as a Dúnedain ranger called Halvard, and Anya Taylor-Joy as a Sindar Elf named Seren.
Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will be released in December 2027 and Animal Farm is now showing in UK cinemas.
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Authors
Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
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