A new report seemingly revealed exactly when Andy Serkis' The Hunt for Gollum movie will take place in The Lord of the Rings' timeline, and that one of the original trilogy's major actors, who many thought would be coming back, is officially being replaced. The Lord of the Rings franchise is one of the most beloved and successful movie series of all time, especially when it comes to the original trilogy that was released in the early 2000s. Therefore, Rings fans were naturally ecstatic to learn in 2024 that Serkis would be directing a Gollum-centric film with the actor reprising his role. At the time, it was rumored that the rest of the original main cast members would also return.
As shared by The Fan of the Rings via X, during The One Ring Net's chat on January 6, 2026, some details about The Hunt for Gollum were revealed. One important element of the upcoming film that was revealed was when it will take place in Middle-earth's timeline.
According to the report, The Hunt for Gollum "takes place in the 20 years prior to The Fellowship of the Ring." Because of that, it will be a direct "bridge between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings," filling in some of the gap between those two trilogies:
"The film reportedly takes place in the 20 years prior to 'The Fellowship of the Ring,' acting as a bridge between 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings.'"
While that seems like a fairly clear explanation for when the movie will take place, there are actually still some questions regarding it. For instance, The Fellowship of the Ring doesn't explain this, but, in the story, 17 years pass between Bilbo's 111th birthday and when Frodo leaves the Shire.
The film makes it seem as though only a little bit of time passes, but, in J.R.R. Tolkien's works, Gandalf leaves the One Ring with Frodo, leaves the Shire, and hunts Gollum alongside Aragorn. In total, Gandalf is gone for 17 years before he returns and sends Frodo on his journey.
Therefore, one important question remains. Will The Hunt for Gollum take place 20 years before Bilbo's birthday party, or 20 years before Frodo leaves the Shire?
It would be strange for the movie to take place 20 years before Bilbo's birthday, because that would mean that Aragorn and Gandalf would have hunted Gollum twice, and that does not line up with the source material at all. Of course, the movie series' canon could be slightly different than the book canon.
However, Gandalf particularly references searching for Gollum when he returns to the Shire after all those years in The Fellowship of the Ring. Particularly, he talks about how he "looked everywhere for the creature Gollum:"
"There is one other who knew that Bilbo had the Ring. I looked everywhere for the creature Gollum. But the enemy found him first."
So, Gandalf essentially confirmed that, after he left the Shire following Bilbo's 111th birthday, he studied the Ring and searched for Gollum. Therefore, The Hunt for Gollum has to take place around 20 years before Frodo leaves the Shire. That would mean that the movie will likely begin right after Bilbo's birthday and will likely end when Gandalf returns to Hobbiton.
A 2024 quote from The Hunt for Gollum screenwriter Philippa Boyens supports this theory. In an interview with Empire, Boyens revealed that the movie would take place "after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines of Moria:"
"It’s quite an intense story, which falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines Of Moria. It’s a specific chunk of an incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature."
As of writing, The Hunt for Gollum is slated to be released in 2027.
Which Lord of the Rings Actors Are Returning in The Hunt for Gollum?
Since The Hunt for Gollum was first announced, fans have begged for the film to star the same actors as the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. For the most part, those wishes are coming true. It has been confirmed that Andy Serkis (Gollum), Elijah Wood (Frodo), and Ian McKellen (Gandalf) will reprise their roles.
However, according to the report referenced above, one central character will be played by a new actor. Unfortunately, Viggo Mortensen will not be returning as Aragorn, son of Arathorn.
Notably, the report also detailed that "auditions for Aragorn are taking place" in London as of writing:
"The conversations I had over the weekend were with real people—not just anonymous names on the internet… Based on those conversations, auditions for Aragorn are taking place this week in London. Aragorn is being recast, with auditions happening both in London and New Zealand."
The report also revealed that the casting department is trying to find "unknown actors" instead of established names:
"What we’re hearing in London is that they’re also looking for unknown actors."
A lot of fans have come up with potential replacements for Mortensen, such as Sebastian Stan or Ben Barnes. However, according to the recently released report, both of those actors are "too old" for what The Hunt for Gollum is going for:
"I’ve been told by people close to casting that Ben Barnes and Sebastian Stan are considered too old for the vision of Aragorn."
So, the casting department is likely looking for an actor in their 30s, considering Stan is 43 years old and Barnes is 44. It is important to remember that, in The Two Towers, Aragorn is 87 years old. Therefore, if The Hunt for Gollum takes place roughly 20 years before Frodo leaves the Shire in Fellowship, Aragorn will be around 67 years old in that movie.
However, Aragorn is of Númenórean descent, so he has a prolonged life, which is why he looks much younger than others his age.
Fans can expect to hear about an official casting for Aragorn sometime relatively soon, but, if the reports are true, it will likely be an up-and-coming actor who hasn't been in any major productions.
