One Aragorn casting rumour went to Deadline. Another Strider was told to THR. And more still came unto Variety, The Wrap, and even Empire. But they were, all of them deceived, for another casting announcement was made. In the land of Las Vegas, in the halls of Caesar’s Palace, Warner Bros. and director Andy Serkis revealed the full line-up for The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum. And leading the line alongside Serkis’ Sméagol will be… Jamie Dornan! Yes, the Barb And Star actor will play Strider — later known as Aragorn — in Serkis’ film, which takes place between The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings trilogies.
Joining Dornan’s chief of the Northern Dúnedain Rangers in The Hunt For Gollum are *deep breath* Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Elijah Wood as Frodo; Lee Pace as his Hobbit trilogy character, Elvenking Thranduil; Kate Winslet as Marigol, reportedly Gollum/Sméagol’s Stoor Hobbit grandmother from J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium; Leo Woodall as Dúnedain man Halvard, believed to be one of the Rangers of the North accompanying Strider on his hunt; and, of course, Serkis himself, who’s pulling double/triple duty as director and Gollum/Sméagol.
The Hunt For Gollum is set to find Aragorn and Gandalf seeking out the titular creature of cunning, looking for information on Bilbo Baggins’ ring in the span of time between Bilbo’s birthday party from Fellowship Of The Ring and the burgeoning Fellowship’s arrival at the Mines of Moria. “Across two trilogies, a mark of a Middle-earth film, has always been the formidable array of talent brought to bear in every role,” said director Serkis in a statement accompanying his movie’s CinemaCon presentation. “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.”
Described to Empire as a Middle-earth adventure with ‘a strong psychological interior story’ by co-writer Philippa Boyens, The Hunt For Gollum is shaping up to be something precious (precioussss) indeed. And with the latest Lord Of The Rings movie due to hit cinemas on 17 December, 2027, the countdown to our Middle-earth return is well and truly on.
