For two years, we’ve been hearing about the newest Lord of the Rings movie, The Hunt for Gollum, which takes place during the time period in which Bilbo leaves the One Ring to Frodo and Gandolf and Aragorn/Strider track down Gollum’s whereabouts. In The Fellowship of the Ring, it’s the part where we overhear Gollum saying, ”Shire. Bagginssss.” Andy Serkis is directing it, and it’s being produced by Peter Jackson’s production company.
Sir Ian McKellen confirmed early on that he and Elijah Wood would be back as Gandalf and Frodo in some capacity, and last month we heard that Kate Winslet would be playing an undisclosed female lead. Serkis also confirmed that the role of Strider/Aragorn would be recast. CinemaCon is happening in Las Vegas right now, and during the Warner Brothers’ presentation on Tuesday, they casually revealed the movie’s full cast. It’s a doozy, too.
After months of breathless speculation, Warner Bros. and New Line have revealed the cast for Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. The announcement was tied to the Warners’ CinemaCon presentation Tuesday evening.
Among the new additions to the cast are Jamie Dornan, who will play Strider, the chief of the Northern Dúnedain Rangers and also known to fans as Aragorn. He steps into the shoes of Viggo Mortensen from the original Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Leo Woodall will play Halvard, another of the Dúnedain, who is joining Strider on the dangerous hunt. Lee Pace is also back as Thranduil after playing the elf in the Hobbit trilogy.
Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum has Andy Serkis directing the film and reprising the role of Gollum — the tragic figure he originated in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy in the early 2000s and which he returned to in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
“Across two trilogies, a mark of a Middle-earth film, has always been the formidable array of talent brought to bear in every role. The Hunt for Gollum continues in that tradition, and I am delighted to announce the return of two of Middle-earth’s most beloved performers, alongside some exceptionally talented new additions to Tolkien’s world,” said Serkis in a statement.
The Hunt for Gollum takes place between The Hobbit trilogy and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, with Aragorn and Gandalf searching for Gollum to learn more information about Bilbo’s ring — which turns out to be the One Ring that threatens all of Middle-earth during the events of Lord of the Rings.
Kate Winslet is on board as a new addition to the franchise, with Ian McKellen set to return as Gandalf. Elijah Wood is also back as Frodo for the film, which is set for a theatrical release on Dec. 17, 2027. Before Dornan’s casting announcement, Serkis previously confirmed that the role of Aragorn would be played by a new actor in his prequel.
I am absolutely floored by this news because I was not expecting it. Early reports had Leo Woodall playing Aragorn/Strider, so the news of Jamie Dornan actually playing the role shocked me. While I love Viggo Mortenson’s portrayal and wish that he’d return, I also respect his decision. Woodall’s casting as a fellow Dúnedain ranger is intriguing, though. As for Dornan, I like him as an actor and assume that he’s taking his new role very seriously because it is a big deal to fill Viggo’s shoes. If we were just going by looks + talent, I would have suggested Sebastian Stan. Just saying!
As for the rest of the casting, I have no issue with Lee Pace coming back as Halvard. We recently rewatched The Hobbit trilogy and he’s fine in the role. Kate Winslet’s character, Marigold, shares a name with Marigold Brandyfoot from The Rings of Power, but is actually Marigold Gamgee, sister of Samwise. Since the Stephen Colbert movie that’s currently in development features Sam’s daughter, I suspect that there may be a tie-in here. And, of course, I will never turn down watching Wood and McKellen in the roles that they were born to play.
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