My precious now refers to an Oscar instead of a ring.
Photo: New Line Cinema/Everett Collection

Get the rabbits ready in Gollum’s trailer, and prepare them just like how Smeagol likes them! Herbs and all. He’s about to take the first billing in the brand new Lord of the Rings movies in 2026. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens are all producing the projects, explained Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav in an earnings call, per Variety. Walsh and Boyens are in the early stages of writing alongside Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. The new movies are focusing on Gollum, played by Andy Serkis, who wrote, “We is baaaaak, Precious!” with the initial announcement. Warner Bros Discovery shared last year that new LOTR films were in development, promising to tell new stories from Middle-earth.

Right now, the working title for the first movie is Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Is this a Finding Nemo situation, where Gollum’s dad is searching for him all over after he is kidnapped by a dentist? It’ll probably give them a reason to give Smeagol some veneers. I forgot how scary his original chompers are.