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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema have a multi-year agreement with Embracer Group’s Middle-earth Enterprises to develop multiple feature films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The announcement does not amount to a complete slate or a locked release schedule. Two projects have since been identified: The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past.
What Warner Bros. actually announced
On February 23, 2023, Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema and Middle-earth Enterprises announced a multi-year partnership to collaborate on multiple feature films drawn from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It was a framework for future production, not a list of completed films, confirmed scripts or guaranteed dates.
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Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy called the opportunity to expand the cinematic world of Middle-earth “an honor” in Embracer’s announcement. The arrangement follows the commercial success of the earlier Warner Bros. and New Line films: Embracer reported nearly $6 billion in worldwide box office for the six Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, along with 17 Oscars for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, including 11 for The Return of the King. Those are figures published by Embracer, rather than an independently reconciled current total.
The Hunt for Gollum is the first named film
Creative team
In May 2024, Embracer identified The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum as the first project. Andy Serkis was announced as director and star. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens were named as producers. Embracer described the title as a working title, so its final name could change.
Release timing
The May 2024 announcement planned a theatrical release in 2026. A later Associated Press report in 2026 said the film was then expected in theaters in 2027, after the announcement of a second project. These are successive plans, not a guaranteed current release date; the latest studio announcement should be checked before making firm scheduling claims.
How it fits the earlier films
The available announcement identifies Serkis’s project as a live-action film, but it does not provide a complete plot, cast list or detailed production schedule. Its title indicates a focus on Gollum, yet no specific Tolkien passage has been confirmed as the film’s exact source.
Shadow of the Past follows as a second project
Associated Press reported in 2026 that Warner Bros. had announced The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past as a film to follow The Hunt for Gollum. The report said Stephen Colbert, his son Peter McGee and Philippa Boyens co-wrote it.
AP described the story as being built around material from the early part of The Fellowship of the Ring. The available information does not establish a complete cast, a confirmed production start, a theatrical date or whether the project will use live action or animation. It therefore should be treated as announced development rather than a dated release.
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How the two announced projects compare
| Project | What is established | Format or story information | Date status |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum | Andy Serkis directs and stars; Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens produce. The title was announced as a working title. | Identified as a live-action project centered on Gollum; a full plot and source passage have not been published in the available announcements. | 2026 was the plan announced in May 2024; AP reported a 2027 expectation in 2026. Neither should be treated as guaranteed without a newer studio confirmation. |
| The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past | Reported by AP in 2026 as the follow-up project; co-written by Stephen Colbert, Peter McGee and Philippa Boyens. | Reportedly built around early Fellowship of the Ring material. Format, cast and detailed schedule are not established in the available information. | No firm release date is stated. |
Who controls the relevant film rights?
Embracer says Middle-earth Enterprises owns exclusive worldwide motion-picture, merchandising, stage and other rights in certain Tolkien literary works, including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. That is the company’s description of its rights position; it should not be generalized to every Tolkien adaptation or every Middle-earth-related property.
For readers who want the literary foundation, the relevant source reading is Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The announcements do not confirm that a particular edition or a particular passage will be used for either newly named film.
What remains unknown
- A complete list of the films covered by the 2023 agreement has not been released.
- No comprehensive, current production calendar has been published for both projects.
- The Hunt for Gollum has had different publicly reported target years: 2026 in the 2024 announcement and 2027 in AP’s 2026 report.
- Shadow of the Past has no stated release date in the available announcement.
- Full casts, budgets, running times and detailed plots have not been confirmed.
What fans can safely take from the news
Warner Bros. and New Line are pursuing additional Tolkien feature films with Middle-earth Enterprises, and the plan has moved beyond a general rights agreement to two named projects. Serkis’s The Hunt for Gollum is the first identified film, while Shadow of the Past is a later reported project connected to early Fellowship of the Ring material. Until the studios issue updated dates and production details, both films belong on a developing slate rather than a fixed release calendar.
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