Sir Ian McKellen Confirms Gandalf and Frodo’s Return In ‘The Lord of The Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’

Andy Serkis is returning to Middle-earth in what he calls his passion project, The Hunt for Gollum

Sir Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood are likely to reunite as Gandalf and Frodo in Warner Bros. upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum film.

The film directed by Andy Serkis, focuses on Gollum’s story during the 17-year gap between Bilbo’s departure and Frodo leaving the Shire, a period not fully detailed in the main Lord of the Rings books between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring.

McKellen revealed the exciting news at a recent fan event, adding that while “Gandalf” and “Frodo” are in the movie, his lips are sealed. Although he did not officially say whether Wood will be back as Frodo, it seems likely after the way he hinted at it.

“It’s going to start filming in May. It’s going to be directed by Gollum, and it’s all about Gollum. But I’ll tell you two secrets about the casting. There’s a character in the movie called Frodo and another character called Gandalf, and apart from that, my lips are sealed.”

Gandalf (Sir Ian Mckellen) with a great announcement for the new Lord of the Rings movie😍❤️ pic.twitter.com/pXh7P8QuTb

— Gollumgram (@Gollumgram) January 5, 2026

The Hunt for Gollum was not a dedicated, full-length novel in The Lord of the Rings series, but rather a set of events described in J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous writings, primarily in the Appendices of The Return of the King and expanded upon in the chapters, “The Shadow of the Past” and “The Council of Elrond” in The Fellowship of the Ring. More details are also found in the book “Unfinished Tales”.

Without giving too much away, the adventure unfolds with Gandalf’s growing suspicion about Bilbo’s ring and his enlistment of Aragorn to track down Gollum before the creature can share any information about the One Ring with Sauron. In the books, there is a significant time jump where the two are off searching for information about the Ring, but in the original films, this period appears much shorter, almost immediate. How this timeline discrepancy will be handled by Peter Jackson and his writers remains to be seen.

With McKellen and Wood all but confirming their eventual return to the Shire, actor Viggo Mortensen isn’t expected to reprise his role as Aragorn in the film. The part is expected to be played by a younger actor, with Serkis and his crew reportedly deciding on the change even though Mortensen was still very much open to returning for the role (via Instagram). Honestly, I think he could pull it off with a little hair dye and makeup, but who am I? You could also have Aragorn tell the story of his younger self, a device Jackson used in The Hobbit films. If you remember, Ian Holm returned as an older Bilbo Baggins with Martin Freeman playing the younger version. Honestly, anything remains a possibility at this point.

A good portion of the original trilogy cast did appear at the recent event, with McKellen also joining in on the excitement that is to be The Hunt for Gollum. As of now, no other actors have been confirmed, but the story does feature the shire, so chances are some actors will be called upon.

While Serkis directs The Hunt for Gollum, Peter Jackson is still heavily involved as a producer, along with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, helping to write and produce

Serkis is also working on another LOTR film, separate from ‘Gollum,’ but no details have been revealed about that project at the time of this writing. It is rumored to potentially take place after the events of Return of the King.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum filming is set for New Zealand with pre-production starting soon. Currently slated to hit theaters on December 17th, 2027.

“A day may come… but it is not this day” – Aragon