Peter Jackson Reveals Where ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ and ‘The Shadow of the Past’ Stand, and What He Directs Next

Peter Jackson spent two decades building Middle-earth on screen, and now he is watching someone else carry it forward. The New Zealand filmmaker is no longer in the director’s chair for the franchise’s next chapters, but he remains deeply involved as a producer. That makes every update from him a major moment for Tolkien fans.

Two new ‘The Lord of the Rings‘ films are currently in the works. ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’ is directed by Andy Serkis, who also stars as the title character, with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens writing the screenplay and Jackson producing. ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Shadow of the Past’ is the second project, co-written by longtime Tolkien superfan Stephen Colbert alongside Boyens and his son, Peter McGee.

This week, Jackson shared fresh details on both films. Speaking to Spanish-language outlet Fotogramas during his visit to the Sitges Film Festival, where he was honored this year, he said that ‘The Shadow of the Past’ is in the scriptwriting stage. He added that ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ is almost finished filming, with only about 2 weeks of shooting left. He also revealed that the script for ‘Tintin 2’ is already written and that the film will be the next one he makes.

Cameras have been rolling since the summer, when Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema confirmed that principal photography had begun with a short clip of Serkis arriving on the motion-capture stage. It is Serkis’s first time directing a Tolkien film, and he plays both Gollum and his younger self, Sméagol. The movie is scheduled to arrive in theaters on Dec. 17, 2027.

Jackson has explained why he stepped aside from directing. He said the story is an internal one about Gollum’s psychology and addiction, and that Serkis knows the character better than anyone. He has also compared the approach to the first ‘Joker’ film, which explored its lead’s psychology while telling a story, with the plot drawn from Tolkien’s appendices and told from Gollum’s internal perspective.

The second film is the more uncertain one. It will adapt 6 chapters from ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ that didn’t make it into Jackson’s original movie. Colbert, Boyens and McGee are writing the screenplay.

Reports had suggested that the project could be paused after Paramount Skydance completed its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. The new leadership reportedly wants to see how ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ performs before letting ‘The Shadow of the Past’ proceed. Jackson’s latest comments suggest the film has not been canceled, since he described it as being in the scriptwriting stage.

The biggest surprise is what Jackson plans to direct himself. He and Walsh have written a script for a sequel to 2011’s ‘The Adventures of Tintin‘, which Steven Spielberg directed and Jackson produced. That film earned $373 million worldwide, and the original plan was for the two filmmakers to swap roles on the second installment.

Jackson first said he was working on the script in May at the Cannes Film Festival, where he received an honorary Palme d’Or and revealed he had been writing in his hotel room. By July, he told Gold Derby that the script was complete and that a Tintin film would probably be the next movie he directs. He has not said which of Hergé’s stories the film will adapt, and a production timeline has not been finalized.

If it goes ahead, the sequel would mark Jackson’s first narrative feature as director since ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ in 2014. That is more than a decade without a new fiction film from the man behind ‘The Lord of the Rings’. Fans have also waited 15 years for the sequel, which has been stuck in development for most of that time.

Jackson has said that Tintin stories don’t age, which helps explain why the project could stay on the shelf and still feel timely. Serkis, who played Captain Haddock in the first film, has said that Jackson really wants to make it. The reunion would bring back one of the franchise’s most beloved creative partnerships.

The updates paint a clear picture. ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ is the franchise’s near-term priority, and its performance may decide how fast ‘The Shadow of the Past’ moves. Jackson’s decision to focus on Tintin shows how he wants to spend his own time as a director.

For fans, the next big moment will arrive when the Gollum film finishes shooting and the marketing begins. A holiday 2027 release gives the studio plenty of runway to build excitement. Until then, Jackson’s behind-the-scenes updates are the best guide to what comes next.

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