Filming has commenced for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, with director and star Andy Serkis offering a first look at the production. A recently released video shows Serkis back in motion-capture gear, reprising his iconic role as Gollum.
The clip, shared from the set in New Zealand, features Serkis entering Weta's motion capture studio. "Here we go, onto the mocap stage for day one," he states before striking a Gollum-like pose and growling "And... action." The video also includes a drone shot of the mountainous filming location, which some fans have identified as the setting for a scene in The Two Towers where Frodo and Sam climb a rock face before encountering Gollum.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled for release on December 17, 2027. A hidden message within the video, deciphered by fans from Middle-earth runes, reads "Something precious awaits."
The film will see the return of several Lord of the Rings alumni, including Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Elijah Wood as Frodo. Lee Pace will reprise his role as elven king Thranduil from The Hobbit trilogy. New cast members include Jamie Dornan as Aragorn and Anya Taylor-Joy as a new character named Seren. Taylor-Joy recently mentioned she was preparing for the role by reading The Lord of the Rings.
Serkis also addressed the film's use of AI and machine learning to digitally de-age some of the cast members, allowing them to appear younger for their roles. The narrative of The Hunt for Gollum focuses on various characters searching for Gollum to discover the location of the One Ring, a period briefly touched upon in The Fellowship of the Ring's prologue and Tolkien's original writings.
Director Peter Jackson has expressed his support for Serkis, stating he is offering guidance but allowing Serkis the creative freedom to make the best possible film. "I'm giving him as much freedom as I can, because giving Andy freedom to make that movie will result in the best possible film," Jackson remarked.