Andy Serkis will direct a new Lord Of The Rings film about his character Gollum, it has been announced.
Sir Peter Jackson, the director of the original trilogy, will produce the film alongside his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.
The Gollum film will be released in 2026, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav said during an earnings call to investors on Thursday.
The project is currently in the “early stages of script development” by writers Walsh and Boyens, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou, Zaslav said.
The film will “explore storylines yet to be told,” he added, and will “present a significant opportunity for our theatrical business”.
British actor Serkis is best known for his groundbreaking motion capture work as Gollum in the adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s beloved books.
His other motion capture characters include Caesar in the Planet Of The Apes films and Supreme Leader Snoke in the latest Star Wars films.
He has also forged a career as a filmmaker, directing films such as Breathe, Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle and Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
The last film in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy was released in 2003 and won 11 Oscars.
