The road goes ever on, as a return to Middle-earth is fast approaching. After years of different attempts to expand The Lord of the Rings beyond Peter Jackson’s original trilogy, this newest project has one big advantage. It’s a story we already know, and we want to know more, precious. But what exactly is the new Gollum-set prequel about? Well, we might know already.
Speaking during a panel at Fan Expo Vancouver, Elijah Wood addressed a recent alleged plot leak for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and appeared to confirm that the leaked details are legitimate. The film, directed by Andy Serkis, is set to arrive on December 17, 2027, and will follow Gollum in the years before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. “I feel like just [recently], someone articulated what the premise of the film is… Like, the actual logline of the movie and in more detail,” Wood said. “So, that’s cool. It’s out there in the world. So, it’s essentially following Gollum, and it’s a little bit of the backstory of Smeagol, and understanding a little bit more deeply where he came from.”
That lines up with the reported synopsis, which suggested that The Hunt for Gollum will explore Sméagol before his full transformation into Gollum, as well as his pursuit of the One Ring after Bilbo Baggins takes it from his cave. Since Gollum dies at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the new film was always expected to be a prequel, but Wood’s comments give fans a clearer idea of where in the timeline the story will sit. Wood also pointed to one key piece of Tolkien lore that the movie appears set to expand: Gollum being tracked before Sauron can learn too much about the Ring’s location.
“And then [the film is] tracking him with Rangers, who have been tasked to track him, because he’s got this sort of… he carries with him, as he’s tortured,” Wood said. “We see that a little bit in Lord of the Rings, where he’s tortured, and he sort of says, ‘Shire Baggins,’ which alerts Sauron to the Shire, because otherwise, it was not a place he was ever considering looking for.” For context, in The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf explains that Gollum was captured and tortured in Mordor, where he revealed the words “Shire” and “Baggins.” The Hunt for Gollum now seems likely to dramatize the tense period before that information fully reaches the wrong hands, with Rangers attempting to find Gollum before Sauron’s forces can use him to uncover the Ring’s location.
Collider Exclusive · Star Wars Quiz Which Force User Are You? Light Side · Dark Side · Or Somewhere Between
The Force is not a binary. It is a spectrum — from the serene halls of the Jedi Temple to the shadowed corridors of Sith space. Ten questions will reveal where you truly fall. The Force has always known. Now you will too.
🔵Jedi Master
🟡Padawan
🔴Sith Lord
⚫Inquisitor
⚪Grey Jedi
01
What is the Force to you? Your relationship with the Force defines everything else.
02
When you feel strong emotions — anger, grief, love — what do you do? The Jedi suppress. The Sith feed. Others choose differently.
03
The Jedi Council gives you an order you disagree with. You: How you handle authority reveals your alignment.
04
You are offered forbidden knowledge that could give you enormous power. The cost is crossing a moral line. You: The dark side’s pull is never more than a choice away.
05
Your approach to training and learning is: A student’s habits become a master’s character.
06
In a duel, your lightsaber fighting style reflects: Combat is the purest expression of a Force user’s philosophy.
07
A defeated enemy lies at your feet, powerless. You: Mercy — or its absence — is the truest test of alignment.
08
The Jedi Code forbids attachment. Your honest view on love and bonds: The source of the greatest falls in the galaxy.
09
Why do you use the Force at all? What’s the point? Purpose is the difference between a knight and a weapon.
10
At the final moment — light side or dark side pulling at you — what wins? In the end, every Force user faces this moment. What does yours look like?
Your Alignment Has Been Determined Your Place in the Force
The scores below reveal how the Force sees you. Your highest number is your true alignment. Read on to understand what that means — and what it will cost you.
🔵 Jedi Master
🟡 Padawan
🔴 Sith Lord
⚫ Inquisitor
⚪ Grey Jedi
Disciplined, compassionate, and deeply attuned to the living Force, you have walked the path long enough to understand its demands — and accept them. You lead not through authority alone, but through example. You have felt the pull of the dark side and chosen otherwise, every time. That is not certainty. That is courage.
You are earnest, powerful, and brimming with potential — and you know it, which is both your greatest asset and your most dangerous flaw. You act before you think, trust your gut over your training, and sometimes confuse impatience for bravery. The Masters see something in you, though. The question isn’t whether you have what it takes — it’s whether you’ll be patient enough to find out.
You are not simply dangerous — you are certain, and that is worse. You have decided what the galaxy needs, and you have decided you are the one to deliver it. Your power is genuine and formidable, earned through sacrifice that would have broken lesser beings. But examine your victories carefully. Every Sith believed their cause was righteous. The dark side’s cruelest trick is that it agrees with you.
You were forged in fire and reshaped by those who found you at your lowest. You serve, because service gave you structure when you had none. Your allegiance is not to an ideology — it is to survival and to the master who gave you purpose. But there is something buried beneath the conditioning. The Jedi you hunt? You recognize them. Because you remember what it felt like before the choice was taken from you.
You have looked at the Jedi Code and the Sith Code and found both of them incomplete. You walk the line not out of indecision but out of conviction — you genuinely believe both extremes miss something essential. The Jedi don’t fully trust you. The Sith think you’re wasting your potential. They’re both partially right. But so are you.
Who Is Involved in ‘The Hunt for Gollum’?
The cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollumalso includes Andy Serkis (King Kong) as Gollum, Ian McKellen (X-Men) as Gandalf the Grey, Lee Pace (Guardians of the Galaxy) as Thranduil, and Jamie Dornan (Belfast) as Aragorn. Kate Winslet (Titanic) and Leo Woodall (The White Lotus) have also been cast. The project also brings back the original creative team behind Jackson’s trilogy, with Peter Jackson (King Kong), Fran Walsh (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), and Philippa Boyens (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers) involved behind the scenes.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollumis scheduled to be released on December 17, 2027. Stay tuned at Collider for more.
Release Date
December 17, 2027
Writers
Arty Papageorgiou, Phoebe Gittins, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, J.R.R. Tolkien
