Today, we at Knight Edge Media, alongside TheOneRing.net, have exclusively learned the full plot synopsis for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. While the synopsis isn’t very in-depth, it suggests the film will focus on Gollum, from the end of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey to the beginning of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. As it will begin with Gollum losing The One Ring to Bilbo Baggins and include flashbacks from his time as a young Stoor:
Before the Fellowship, one creature’s obsession holds the key to Middle-earth’s survival — or its demise. In The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, we meet young Smeagol — an outsider drawn to trinkets and mischief — long before The One Ring consumed him and began his tragic descent into the tortured, deceitful creature Gollum. With the ring lost and carried away by Bilbo Baggins, Gollum finds himself compelled to leave his cave in search of it. Gandalf the Grey calls upon Aragorn, still known as the ranger Strider, to track the elusive creature whose knowledge of the whereabouts of the ring could tip the balance toward the Dark Lord Sauron.
Set in the shadowed time between Bilbo’s birthday disappearance and the Fellowship’s formation, this perilous journey through Middle-earth’s darkest corners reveals untold truths, tests the resolve of its future king, and explores the fractured soul and backstory of Gollum, one of Tolkien’s most enigmatic characters.
Directed by original cast member Andy Serkis, produced by Peter Jackson, and written & produced by Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens — the creative team behind the Oscar-winning trilogy — this live-action movie bridges the beloved films with new characters, returning heroes, and a deeply engaging origin story that resets the stage for, and changes everything you know about the legendary Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Production on The Hunt for Gollum is expected to begin in New Zealand this summer. It will be filming under the working title Juicy throughout production.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum hits theaters on December 17th, 2027
Small Tidbit…..Casting is currently underway all this week for a “Young Smeagol” in #TheHuntforGollum #LordOfTheRings pic.twitter.com/NOB4d61a3V
— Caleb Williams (@KnightGambit) January 15, 2026
- The film follows Gollum searching for The One Ring after Bilbo Baggins takes it, exploring his early days as a young Stoor.
- Gandalf the Grey sends Aragorn, known as Strider, to track Gollum before Sauron extracts vital information regarding the missing ring.
- The original creative team, including Andy Serkis and Peter Jackson, reunites to produce this live action movie arriving in December 2027.
