Overview
- Leo Woodall said the casting “means everything” and described joining The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum as a “boyhood dream,” and he will play Halvard, a new Dúnedain character created for the film.
- The film reunites legacy talent with new faces: Andy Serkis directs and will again perform as Gollum while Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen return, and new cast members include Jamie Dornan as Strider and Kate Winslet in an original role.
- Studio announcements at CinemaCon in April confirmed the main creative team with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens producing and Walsh and Boyens among the writers.
- Filming is expected to begin in New Zealand in 2026 and the studio has set a firm theatrical release date of December 17, 2027.
- The movie adapts material from Tolkien’s appendices to tell an interquel about Aragorn’s pursuit of Gollum, a choice that returns production to New Zealand and positions the original filmmakers to shape how the story connects to the earlier trilogies.