Is The Hunt for Gollum a prequel to The Lord of the Rings? — The Hunt for Gollum timeline explained

The cameras are rolling in the Shire this week, as Warner Bros. finally revealed its very first on-set images of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, its upcoming movie from director Andy Serkis and the creative team behind Peter Jackson's film trilogy. We'll be returning to Middle-earth on December 17, 2027 for a brand new adventure!

If this is the first you're hearing about The Hunt for Gollum or you haven't been following along too closely before now, you may have some questions. What is The Hunt for Gollum about? When does it take place in the Lord of the Rings timeline? Who from the previous movies will return for it?

We've got those answers right here, so let's get you up to speed. We promise it'll be quicker than calling an Entmoot.

What is The Hunt for Gollum about and when does it take place?

The Hunt for Gollum is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings...kind of. From the photo above, which shows Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) preparing to open the distinctive door of Bag End with cane in hand, it seems likely that the movie will include a framing story. My guess is that we may see a future time when the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and Frodo discuss this previous adventure involving Gollum, before the scene shifts to the past.

Regardless, the main events of the movie will indeed be set before The Lord of the Rings, when Gandalf and Aragorn searched the length and breadth of Middle-earth for Gollum, before the twisted former ring bearer fell into the hands of Sauron's lieutenants in Mordor. You'll probably recall that part of the tale from The Lord of the Rings; it was by torturing Gollum that the Nazgûl learned Bilbo Baggins was in possession of the One Ring in the Shire, which kicked off the events of The Fellowship of the Ring.

The timeline can get a little tricky, however. In J.R.R. Tolkien's book series, there is a 17-year time gap that occurs after Bilbo Baggins' 111th birthday party. It's during this time that Gandalf and Aragorn make their search for Gollum. However, the film trilogy omitted the time jump, so instead it's more or less confirmed that the events of The Hunt for Gollum will take place earlier, as a true prequel rather than a lost tale from around the start of The Fellowship of the Ring.

Will Aragorn from Lord of the Rings return for The Hunt for Gollum?

One of our biggest clues that Serkis and The Hunt for Gollum writing team have shifted the timeline to be earlier than The Fellowship of the Ring lies in the casting. Both Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen are reprising their roles as Frodo and Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings films, but outside of them, the only other franchise star who is confirmed to be returning is Lee Pace, who played the elf King Thranduil in The Hobbit movies.

Yes, you read that right. Viggo Mortensen is not coming back as Aragorn, son of Arathorn. Instead, The Hunt for Gollum has cast Fifty Shades of Grey star Jamie Dornan in the role, as a younger version of Strider. You'll recall that Aragorn is gifted with the long life of Númenor; if he's being intentionally portrayed as younger in this new movie than he was in the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring, then that's a clear sign we're in prequel territory.

In addition to Dornan, McKellen, Wood, and Pace, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum also stars Anya Taylor-Joy as an elf named Seren, Leo Woodall as Aragorn's fellow ranger Halvard, and Kate Winslet as Marigol, a role we know nothing about beyond the name.

The script for The Hunt for Gollum was written by Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh, Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. Walsh and Boyens co-wrote the original Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films with Peter Jackson, who serves on this movie as in a producer capacity. So despite the change in director to Serkis, this new movie will likely still feel like a cohesive part of the same Middle-earth tapestry that Jackson's team has been weaving for more than two-and-a-half decades.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum releases in theaters on December 17, 2027.

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