Gandalf’s Exact Role in New Lord of The Rings’ Gollum Spinoff Revealed By Sir Ian McKellen

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As a huge fan of Tolkien’s world, I’m thrilled to hear we’re going back to Middle-earth! Warner Bros. announced a new live-action movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and it’s set to come out sometime in 2024. It’s exciting because it’s been a while – the last live-action film was The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies back in 2014. What’s really cool is this story takes place before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, so we’ll get to see a different side of Middle-earth.

Andy Serkis will direct and star in The Hunt for Gollum, once again playing Gollum. Peter Jackson returns as a producer, and the writers of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh, are writing the script. As for what happens to Gandalf, Sir Ian McKellan, who plays the character, says he can’t reveal details, but the script is designed for fans of Lord of the Rings. The story will be an adventure, focusing on Aragorn’s search for Gollum, with Gandalf providing guidance from behind the scenes.

What We Know About The Hunt for Gollum

Sir Ian McKellen has suggested the upcoming film may center around Aragorn and Gandalf searching for Gollum. While he couldn’t reveal specific details, he described the script as an adventure story designed to appeal to fans of The Lord of the Rings.

— The Mellon Heads – LOTR Podcast (@mellon_heads) February 15, 2026

The website TheOneRing.net shared a leaked plot summary for the new movie. It tells the story of what happened before the events of the Fellowship. The film focuses on a creature’s intense desire for something – the One Ring – and how that desire will determine the fate of Middle-earth. We’ll see Smeagol as a young, somewhat mischievous outcast, before the Ring corrupted him and turned him into the troubled, sneaky creature known as Gollum. After Bilbo Baggins takes the Ring, Gollum is driven to leave his home and search for it.

Gandalf seeks out Aragorn, a skilled ranger known as Strider, to find a creature who knows the location of a powerful ring. This search, taking place shortly after Bilbo’s mysterious departure and before the Fellowship is formed, sends them on a dangerous journey across Middle-earth. Along the way, they uncover hidden secrets, challenge Aragorn’s strength as a future king, and delve into the troubled past of Gollum, a complex and fascinating character created by Tolkien.

This new live-action movie comes from the team behind the original, award-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy – director Andy Serkis (who also starred in the films), producer Peter Jackson, and writers/producers Fran Walsh and Phillipa Boyens. It connects to the original films while introducing new characters and revisiting old favorites, offering a fresh origin story that reimagines everything you thought you knew about Middle-earth.

Who Is Returning?

So far, Andy Serkis and Ian McKellen are the only actors officially confirmed to reprise their roles. However, Elijah Wood has suggested he might return as Frodo. Also, the filmmakers are currently searching for a younger actor to play Aragorn, the role previously held by Viggo Mortensen. While there’s been speculation, it doesn’t seem like Sebastian Stan or Ben Barnes are being considered. We’ll probably have to wait a while for casting news, but hopefully we’ll hear something soon, as the movie is expected to come out in December 2027.

Sir Ian McKellen shared that filming will begin in May and will center around the character Gollum, with Gollum also directing. He hinted at the casting by revealing there will be characters named Frodo and Gandalf, but wouldn’t share any further details.

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2026-02-16 00:10