# The Hunt for Gollum will de-age its Lord of the Rings actors

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-hunt-for-gollum-will-de-age-its-lord-of-the-rings-actors/
- Published: 2026-07-14T07:32:05+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-14T13:47:28+00:00
- Original publisher: Polygon
- Original article: https://www.polygon.com/hunt-gollum-lord-of-rings-actors-de-age/
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- Hunt for Gollum will use de-ageing tech, Serkis confirms
- No generative AI used, only de-ageing and machine learning
- Film releases in cinemas on 17 December 2027

## Summary

Director Andy Serkis has confirmed that The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will use de-ageing technology on some of its cast, marking a notable use of machine learning in the making of the film. Serkis, who also stars as Gollum, said the technique would apply to "some of the characters" but stopped short of naming them, though he stressed that no other form of AI is being used in production, ruling out generative AI in the process.

The film reunites returning Lord of the Rings actors Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Elijah Wood as Frodo, both plausible candidates for de-ageing given the story runs concurrently with the original trilogy, likely spanning the period between Bilbo's 111th birthday and Gandalf's return to the Shire. De-ageing has been used in cinema since 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, which notably de-aged McKellen alongside Patrick Stewart. Jamie Dornan takes over as Aragorn from Viggo Mortensen, with Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, Leo Woodall and Lee Pace (reprising Thranduil) rounding out the cast. Serkis said he also wants to blend the technology with traditional filmmaking craft such as miniatures and prosthetics, and the film is due for release on 17 December 2027.

## Coverage

- [Polygon: The Hunt for Gollum will de-age its Lord of the Rings actors](https://www.polygon.com/hunt-gollum-lord-of-rings-actors-de-age/)
- [IGN: The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum Will Use AI to De-Age Some of Its Characters](https://www.ign.com/articles/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-hunt-for-gollum-will-use-ai-to-de-age-some-of-its-characters)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.