Hollywood Minute: Lord of the Rings Gollum movie

Warner Bros. has announced that The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, will now hit theaters on December 17, 2027

(CNN)-Fans of Middle-earth will have to wait a little longer to return to its shadows. Warner Bros. has announced that The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, starring and directed by Andy Serkis, will now hit theaters on December 17, 2027, a full year later than originally scheduled. The film, initially set for a 2026 debut, continues the legacy of Serkis, who has portrayed the iconic Gollum character via motion capture since the franchise’s inception.

“I’ve always believed that acting or directing or creating art in any way is a force for change,” Serkis said, hinting at the creative drive behind the upcoming installment.

While fans await the return to Tolkien’s universe, the film world celebrated fresh voices and boundary-pushing stories at the 2025 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, where the thriller Everhand emerged as the standout winner. The story of a farmer with a partial limb and a mysterious machine earned Best Film, and its director Shane Hillier took home Best Director.

Other honorees at the star-studded Thursday night gala at Sony Studios included:

• Dashiell Meier, 19, who won Best Actor for Day 21

• Anna Pakman, awarded Best Awareness Campaign for Emergency Plan

• Steve Way and Danny Kurtzman, named Best Writers for We’ll Meet Again

• Lilly Drummond, honored as Best Editor for Hypothetically, The End

This year’s short-film genre, Thriller and Suspense, inspired a record-breaking 123 entries from around the globe, highlighting a growing platform for disabled filmmakers to showcase their talent and perspectives.