We Now Have The Full Cast Of The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum
Wait, Aragorn will be played by who?
After months of rumours doing the rounds and fans playing casting director online, Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have finally shown their hand. The cast for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is officially out, revealed during the studios’ CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas.
Among the newly announced cast members, Jamie Dornan will take on the role of Strider, the chief of the Northern Dúnedain Rangers, better known to fans as Aragorn. The character was previously portrayed by Viggo Mortensen in the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Leo Woodall joins the film as Halvard, another member of the Dúnedain, who accompanies Strider on the hunt. Meanwhile, Lee Pace reprises his role as Thranduil, a character he previously played in The Hobbit trilogy.
The film is directed by Andy Serkis, who will also return as Gollum, a role he originated in Peter Jackson’s early 2000s Lord of the Rings films and revisited in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
In a statement, Serkis highlighted the franchise’s legacy of assembling strong ensembles, expressing enthusiasm about bringing back familiar faces alongside new additions to Middle-earth.
The story is set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, following Aragorn and Gandalf as they search for Gollum in an effort to uncover more about Bilbo’s ring, which is later revealed to be the One Ring.
Additional cast members include Kate Winslet in a new role, with Ian McKellen returning as Gandalf and Elijah Wood reprising Frodo. The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on December 17, 2027.
Serkis had confirmed that Aragorn will be played by a new actor for this prequel, marking a departure from Mortensen’s portrayal, and setting off a series of fancasts.
The project is not the only new Middle-earth film in development. A second film, tentatively titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, is being written by Stephen Colbert alongside Philippa Boyens and Peter McGee. It is expected to follow The Hunt for Gollum and does not yet have a director attached.
CinemaCon, where the announcement was made, is an annual gathering of cinema owners and Hollywood studios, hosted in Las Vegas by Cinema United, formerly known as the National Association of Theatre Owners.