The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum set photos bring Frodo home to the Shire in nostalgic first look

It's been more than two years since The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum was first announced, and all that time, fans have been speculating about castings, the timeline of the film, and more. What we haven't had, however, is very much official material to base those speculations off, since the upcoming Middle-earth spinoff from director Andy Serkis and Peter Jackson's creative team from the original movies has taken its time gearing up.

That just changed, however, because the first set photos from The Hunt for Gollum are here!

Warner Bros. released a slew of images on its official TikTok account to commemorate Hobbit Day — that would be September 22, the day that Frodo (Elijah Wood) awakens in Rivendell to find himself once more amongst friends after his dangerous flight from the Nazgûl. He's looking quite a bit better in our first photograph of him from the new movie:

"Autumn has come to the Shire… join us as the seasons change," reads the caption for WB's post. "We wish you all a very Happy Hobbit Day from the cast and crew of 'The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum'. Only in theatres 17 December 2027."

In addition to this first look at Frodo, we also got a bunch of photos of the crew hard at work, as well as some new Hobbits who are inhabiting the Shire during this latest Lord of the Rings film:

When does The Hunt for Gollum take place?

While I've often been a little cynical about Warner Bros. drive to create ever more Lord of the Rings films to cash in on the franchise, I'd be lying if I said this photo slideshow — which is accompanied by Howard Shore's idyllic score — didn't hit me right in the nostalgia. It genuinely does feel like we're all getting to go home to the Shire. For as much as The Lord of the Rings is a big film franchise owned by a massive company, it's also very much a cultural affair in New Zealand, where thousands of people have worked on these movies over the course of decades. That makes this surprise Hobbit Day photo reveal feel surprisingly authentic.

As for what lies ahead, The Hunt for Gollum is a prequel movie to the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, which chronicles Gandalf and Aragorn's search for the titular precious-hoarding monster played by Andy Serkis. In J.R.R. Tolkien's books, this material happens after Bilbo's birthday but before the main quest where Frodo takes the Ring to Mordor; in the movies, it seems like it's going to just be set before the Lord of the Rings films, since they did away with the 17-year gap that happens after Bilbo takes his leave of the Shire anyway.

It seems very likely that The Hunt for Gollum will also include a framing story, similar to The Hobbit movies, otherwise we probably wouldn't be seeing Frodo with a cane, alluding to his older age. My guess is we'll see the Hobbit reunite with his friend Gandalf (Ian McKellen), and the wizard will relay the tale of how he and Aragorn once chased Gollum across the breadth of Middle-earth.

The Hunt for Gollum cast and crew

McKellen also revealed a first look recently at himself in costume as Gandalf, so things are truly underway for The Hunt for Gollum. In addition to Wood, McKellen, and Serkis, Lee Pace is also returning as the elf King Thranduil, a role he played in The Hobbit films. They're joined by a slate of newcomers to the franchise, including Jamie Dornan as younger Aragorn, Anya Taylor-Joy as the elf, Seren, Leo Woodall as the ranger Halvard, and Kate Winslet as Marigol, a role we know nothing about other than the name, but which was described to Deadline as the female lead of the film.

The Lord of the Rings: 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 films as well as The Hobbit trilogy with Peter Jackson, so you know we're in good hands. Jackson remains attached as a producer, so he'll undoubtedly be involved quite a bit as well. The band is all back together!

This may be the first time I've started to feel genuinely excited for The Hunt for Gollum. Perhaps this return to Middle-earth will be the breath of fresh air that the franchise has needed after all.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is currently filming in New Zealand. It releases in theaters worldwide on December 17, 2027.

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