Ian McKellen Says Gandalf and Frodo Will Appear in The Hunt for Gollum

Ian McKellen told fans in London on August 17 that Gandalf and Frodo will appear in the next live-action Lord of the Rings film, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, a tease that ignited speculation over whether he and Elijah Wood will reprise their roles. He offered no casting confirmations, only the character news, delivered on stage at the For the Love of Fantasy event.

The film is being directed by Andy Serkis, who will again play Gollum, with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens producing. Warner Bros. and New Line have slated a theatrical release for December 17, 2027, and production is expected to begin in May 2026. Those dates reflect a shift from an earlier 2026 target as the project moved through development this year.

Story details position the movie as an interquel set before the Fellowship’s formation, tracking the effort to locate Gollum once it becomes clear that a Baggins holds the One Ring. That timeline creates organic entry points for Gandalf and Frodo, while leaving open questions about who will portray them. Beyond Serkis, the studio has not announced casting.

McKellen’s remarks arrive as the studio re-centers Middle-earth among its marquee franchises. The Hunt for Gollum was first flagged publicly last year when Warner Bros. Discovery said new features were in active development with Jackson, Walsh and Boyens attached, an initiative separate from Amazon’s television series. The most recent animated installment, The War of the Rohirrim, kept the brand in the marketplace ahead of the new feature push.

Elijah Wood has previously signaled interest in returning as Frodo should the filmmakers ask, though no deal has been disclosed. With filming not due to start until 2026, the studio has time to finalize a cast while leveraging nostalgia around familiar characters and the promise of new material drawn from Tolkien’s appendices.