At last month's CinemaCon, Warner Bros. announced the main cast for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. The biggest surprise was that Fifty Shades of Grey and The Tourist star Jamie Dornan will take over the role of Strider/Aragorn from Viggo Mortensen.
While a new actor was expected to take over, Leo Woodall (One Day) had been heavily rumoured for the role. Instead, we now know that he's been tapped to play Halvard, a newly created character for Middle-earth.
As we first reported on SFFGazette.com, Josh Horowitz recently caught up with Andy Serkis, who will both direct The Hunt for Gollum and reprise his most iconic role as Smeagol/Gollum. Explaining that he'll have much more to say about the movie next year, the filmmaker noted that Dornan "100%" has his predecessor's seal of approval.
"We're just about to start shooting. That's where I'll say, you know, we're not far off shooting. So I'm going to save all discussion about casting," he shared. "Other than that, we are thrilled that Jamie's doing it. We're absolutely thrilled. And by the way, so is Viggo."
Asked why he wanted to revisit the character, Sekis explained that he saw the opportunity to reveal more about what makes Gollum tick in a story that will bring moviegoers back to Middle-earth for the first time since The Hobbit trilogy wrapped up in 2014.
"There is so much more to be dug out of this very complex character, the most perhaps complex character that Tolkien wrote, because he kept revisiting it as well. Multiple times. And so there was a desire for a series of return to Middle-earth movies, and this seemed to be a great way in to be able to bring some of the cast back, but also see this as a very much more intimate story."
"And a deep dive psychological investigation into a character who has become absorbed into public consciousness in rather a large way. So it sort of feels like there is a real relevance. I think there's still a wealth of stuff to be got out of the character, and it sits very neatly between the Hobbit trilogy and The Lord of the Rings. It's a great way, I think, of bringing the audience back into this world."
Elsewhere in the conversation, Serkis reflected on his time in Star Wars' Skywalker Saga as the still-mysterious Supreme Leader Snoke. Explaining that the villain was being written as they were shooting, it seems the actor was left completely in the dark about Snoke's origins and motivations.
He'd hoped for more in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but recalled, "Rian Johnson has said this is a much more meaty role in this. And I'm like, 'Wow, this is getting great. This is such a good scene.' And then it's just like, 'All right, you've just been cut in half. Okay, sorry. Bye-bye.'"
Touching on his second chance at a Star Wars role as Andor's Kino Loy, Serkis confirmed he wasn't asked to return for Season 2 despite the show's producers asking that he not comment on whether the character is alive or dead after the prison break on Narkina 5.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum stars Andy Serkis as Smeagol/Gollum, Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, Lee Pace as Thranduil, Jamie Dornan as Strider, a.k.a. Aragorn, Leo Woodall as Halvard, and Kate Winslet as Marigol.
The story delves into Gollum's past, back in a time when he was known as a young Stoorish lad called Sméagol.
Serkis will direct the movie. Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh, who wrote The Lord of the Rings trilogy, are penning the screenplay, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim). The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit director Peter Jackson, meanwhile, is producing the project.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set to be released in theaters on December 17, 2027.