Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens will write the screenplay. Along with Peter Jackson, they were co-writers of the original early 2000's Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and the three Hobbit films. Jackson will be a producer.
Andy Serkis will both direct, and reprise his role as Gollum.
There is a 2009 fan-made film titled "The Hunt for Gollum" on YouTube, spanning 39 minutes. Following the announcement of this movie, the film was taken offline, a decision to which LORT fans reacted negatively. On May 10, 2024, the film was restored to YouTube.
According to media site The Direct on Feb. 27, 2025, Andy Sirkis revealed during a Fan Expo Vancouver panel in Feb. 2025 that the release date had been moved from Dec. 2026 to Dec. 2027. Sirkis also divulged. "We are right at the beginning of the writing process. We will be prepping later this year. Prep takes a good chunk of time, six or seven months, and then we will be shooting next year. So, it backs into that December 2027 release date."