Andy Serkis has confirmed filming has wrapped on The Hunt for Gollum.
"We've just wrapped principal photography and directing [The Hunt for Gollum]," Serkis – who is directing the latest Lord of the Rings movie, as well as portraying Gollum once more – said on The Morning Mosh Pit (H/T Polygon). "It's been an incredible journey back into an endlessly complex and wonderfully drawn and written character."
The Hunt for Gollum, set largely between The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies, sees Smeagol in desperate search for The One Ring, with Strider/Aragorn sent by Gandalf to track the creature down.
While Gollum is undoubtedly one of the most memorable and uniquely tragic things in The Lord of the Rings, Serkis has professed his excitement at digging deeper into the psyche of the character.
"I'm very excited about it," Serkis said. "He is one of Tolkien's most complex characters, and it definitely bears further examination."
The Hunt for Gollum will bring back a handful of familiar faces alongside Serkis' iconic Gollum, including Sir Ian McKellen's Gandalf, Elijah Wood's Frodo, and Lee Pace's Thranduil. Aragorn has been recast, with Jamie Dornan playing a younger version of the character. Newcomers to the franchise include Kate Winslet, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Leo Woodall.
The Hunt for Gollum courted controversy earlier this year with the admission AI was used in some of the de-aging, but Serkis told Variety, "We're not creating AI shots in our movie," and that "Every shot is created in a traditional way."
The Hunt for Gollum hits cinemas on December 17, 2027.
For more, check out our guides on how to watch the Lord of the Rings movies in order and our breakdown of The Lord of the Rings timeline.
