Andy Serkis returns as Gollum in first behind-the-scenes look at new 'LOTR' film

Andy Serkis gave fans their first behind-the-scenes look at The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, with Warner Bros releasing footage of the actor-director transforming back into the iconic character as filming begins.

The video shows Serkis arriving on set in a motion-capture suit before asking the crew, "What are we going to start with?" After being told, "At the beginning," he flips through a script, crouches on a box and slips into Gollum's signature voice, saying, "And... Action!"

Andy Serkis returns to iconic role

Serkis is directing and starring in the upcoming Lord of the Rings film, reprising the role that made him a motion-capture pioneer. The newly released footage marks fans' first official glimpse of production.

In a previous interview with Deadline, Serkis said he was excited to revisit Gollum because motion-capture technology has advanced significantly since the original Lord of the Rings trilogy.

He explained that earlier technology was largely limited to indoor sets, whereas newer systems allow performance capture on outdoor locations with more detailed facial expressions using head-mounted cameras.

New film explores Gollum's hunt before 'The Fellowship of the Ring'

The Hunt for Gollum is set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The story follows Aragorn's mission to track down Gollum before the creature can reveal the location of the One Ring to Sauron.

Much of the film's narrative is drawn from J.R.R. Tolkien's appendices, expanding on events only briefly mentioned in the original books.

While keeping plot details under wraps, Serkis recently told the BBC that the story unfolds across "two different dimensions," without revealing further details.