The Hobbit 4: The Shadow of Erebor (2026) — When Darkness Stirs Beneath the Mountain Once More

Years after the thunder of war faded from Middle-earth, peace has settled uneasily across its reborn kingdoms. Yet beneath the stone and gold of the Lonely Mountain, something ancient has begun to stir. The Hobbit 4: The Shadow of Erebor (2026) dares to ask a haunting question: what if evil did not perish with Smaug—but merely went silent?

Martin Freeman returns as Bilbo Baggins, older, wiser, and far more reluctant to leave the comforts of the Shire. His journey this time is not driven by curiosity or chance, but by responsibility. When disturbing signs emerge from Erebor’s deepest halls—whispers of a malevolent force tied to the dragon’s lingering curse—Bilbo is summoned once again into a world of danger he believed he had outgrown.

At his side stands Ian McKellen’s Gandalf the Grey, ever watchful, ever burdened by knowledge of evils that history prefers to forget. Gandalf senses that what stirs beneath the mountain is not merely a creature, but a remnant of wrath, a shadow born of greed, fire, and unbroken will—feeding on the very gold that once drew Smaug to Erebor.

Rejoining the tale are Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), whose vigilance has kept the borders of the East from collapse. Their presence adds urgency and emotional tension, as old alliances are tested by rising paranoia among the Dwarves and the lingering corruption of the Arkenstone. Trust frays. Pride resurfaces. And unity becomes fragile once more.