Which Lord of the Rings characters are returning for The Hunt for Gollum?

We have to wait until 2027, but expectations are rising for the new The Lord of The Rings prequel, The Hunt for Gollum.

No specific plot details have been released as of yet, but is is based on appendices written by LOTR creator J.R.R. Tolkien.

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In those appendices, Gandalf recruits Aragorn to help him track down Gollum who has crucial information about the 'One Ring' - information that would naturally be of use to Sauron.

The Hunt for Gollum is described as a prequel, but does take place during the events of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, 17 years after Bilbo Baggins' birthday party seen in The Fellowship of the Ring.

Screenwriter Philippa Boyens previously told Empire that The Hunt For Gollum was “quite an intense story, which falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines Of Moria. It is a specific chunk of incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature”.

It will be directed by Andy Serkis who will also return in his motion-capture suit as Gollum, while Peter Jackson will serve as a producer.

At the For the Love of Fantasy event in London over the weekend, McKellen confirmed the return of two key characters from the original trilogy.

“I hear there’s going to be another movie based in Middle-earth and it’s going to start filming in May," he told an excited audience.

"It’s going to be directed by Gollum, and it is all about Gollum. But I'll tell you two secrets about the casting. There’s a character in the movie called Frodo and there’s a character in the movie called Gandalf. Apart from that, my lips are sealed!”

There have been no official casting confirmations so we don't know whether the likes of McKellen, Elijah Wood or Viggo Mortensen will return.

????BREAKING: Sir Ian McKellen confirms that Frodo returns in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’ movie coming out in 2027 pic.twitter.com/wHqPjbFkKH— Lotr Universe (@Lordoftheringsu) August 17, 2025