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.
It’s not the only Lord of the Rings movie on the horizon either, as Stephen Colbert is writing a second film alongside Philippa Boyens and Peter McGee, under the working title The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past. That movie will come after Hunt for Gollum and does not yet have a director attached.
CinemaCon, the annual gathering of cinema owners and Hollywood studios, is hosted in Las Vegas by Cinema United, formerly known as the National Association of Theatre Owners. This year’s edition runs April 13-16.
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