Andy Serkis Returns as Gollum, and This Time He Is Directing
Andy Serkis is going back to Middle-earth as Gollum, and this time he will also direct the film. Deadline reported on 9 November 2026 that Serkis is reprising the role in The Hunt for Gollum, a new Lord of the Rings film.
Gollum is the twisted, ring-obsessed creature from J.R.R. Tolkien's books. Serkis first brought him to the screen in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films, which began in 2001. He has spent the years since voicing and performing the character, and he now has to work out what that means from the director's seat.
In an interview with The Times, published on 8 November 2026, Serkis said returning to the part has been "insane". He told the paper that it has him waking up at night. Thinking about his double role, he asked: "Am I directing you, Gollum? Or you me? Are we arguing?"
He also made clear that the character is not going anywhere. "I don't suspect that Gollum will ever leave me, quite frankly," he said, as quoted by Deadline.
Serkis is not the only familiar face heading back. Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in the original trilogy, is returning to the franchise for The Hunt for Gollum. SYFY WIRE reported in May 2026 that Wood said he was thrilled to go back to New Zealand, where the original films were shot.
Serkis's name has been linked to the character for some time. In May 2024, the Associated Press reported that he would play Gollum in two new Lord of the Rings films.
Serkis has also been talking about a new book, My Pressures, in the same round of interviews. The book and the film are separate projects, but both are keeping him busy in the same weeks.
For fans, the news is a reminder that Gollum's story is still being told. The character has moved from a supporting part in Jackson's films to the centre of a project overseen by the man who has played him for more than two decades. Release dates for The Hunt for Gollum have not been part of the reports cited here, so the calendar will have to wait for the studio to announce it.
