New Film "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum" Announces Star-Studded Cast
Madison Flores
Published May 15, 2026
By Published Apr 14, 2026, 8:22 PM EDT Brennan Klein (he/him) is a senior news writer at Screen Rant, host of the podcast, and contributor at and . He has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror movies) for over a decade at platforms including Blumhouse, Fangoria, Dread Central, The Backlot, and Arrow in the Head. follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
is bringing theatergoers back to Middle-earth with a new Aragorn alongside a cast of familiar faces.
The , which debuts in theaters on December 17, 2027, is the seventh live-action movie in the Lord of the Rings film franchise and the eighth feature-length installment overall (including the 2026 animated prequel The War of the Rohirrim). Andy Serkis (who has played the title character onscreen since his debut in 2002's The Two Towers) has taken the director's chair for the project, which has a screenplay by Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens (the longtime producing partners of Peter Jackson, who directed the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies) alongside Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.
Warner Bros. has now revealed that the cast for The Hunt for Gollum will include Andy Serkis as Gollum and Sméagol, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Kate Winslet as Marigol, Jamie Dornan as Strider (the name that iconic LOTR character Aragorn is known by), Leo Woodall as Halvard, Lee Pace as Thranduil, and Elijah Wood as Frodo. Below, see an image of the casting announcement:
In addition to confirming that Serkis, McKellen, and Wood would be reprising their original roles from the and that Pace will return after originating the role of Elf king Thranduil in the Hobbit movies, this announcement reveals that Fifty Shades of Grey star Jamie Dornan will be stepping in for Viggo Mortensen as Strider. A week before the cast announcement, it was officially revealed that Mortensen would not be returning, though his replacement was unknown at the time.
As for the new characters joining the movie, The Hollywood Reporter reports that Halvard, the character played by The White Lotus and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy star Leo Woodall will be a Dúnedain Ranger "who is joining Strider on the dangerous hunt." It seems likely that the hunt in question is the titular hunt for Serkis' character, Gollum.
Details about Marigol, the character played by Oscar winner and Titanic star Kate Winslet, are currently unknown, though given the final three letters of the character's name, it seems possible that she is a member of Sméagol's family. While the Hobbit Samwise Gamgee (who was played by Sean Astin in the original trilogy) has a sister named Marigold, the differing spellings between the two characters' names would seem to indicate that they are unrelated.
It ultimately makes sense that so many would return for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. While the movie takes place before the events of 2001's The Fellowship of the Ring, it takes place during the life of the title character, during which time the majority of the characters from the original trilogy were active. However, it remains to be seen how the Hobbit Frodo figures into the story, as he has not yet embarked on the journey during which he meets Gollum.
Cast
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Gollum -
Gandalf -
Marigol -
Jamie Dornan Strider
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