Warner Bros. and director/star Andy Serkis are in the process of assembling the main cast for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and a big name is now rumoured to be in talks for an undisclosed part.
According to scooper Daniel Richtman, Kate Winslet (Titanic, Avatar: Fire and Ash) is in negotiations for a "major role" in the movie. We don't have any details on her character at this time, but Aragorn's mother, Gilraen, is one possibility.
Winslet has largely avoided big franchises over the course of her career, but she did play a supporting role in the last two Avatar movies. The Academy Award-winner was actually offered and turned down the role of Eowyn in The Two Towers.
Serkis (Smeagol/Gollum) is the only actor who has been officially confirmed to reprise his role, but it seems likely that Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf) will be back, and both Orlando Bloom (Legolas) and Elijah Wood (Frodo) have indicated that they may appear.
Viggo Mortensen did express interest in possibly playing Aragorn again if he felt that the script was up to par, but a recent report claimed that Leo Woodall is in talks to play the heroic Ranger. Anya Taylor-Joy is also said to be in the mix, with speculation pointing to the Furiosa star playing a younger take on Arwen.
This time period is mentioned in both Tolkien's novels and Jackson's films, with Gandalf and Aragorn attempting to track Gollum down before he falls into Sauron's hands. In the movies, the wizard says he "searched everywhere for the creature Gollum," but "the Dark Lord found him first." In the books, Aragorn reveals that he did manage to capture Smeagol ("he bit me... and I was not gentle") near the Dead Marshes, but wasn't able to get any information out of him.
“It is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that Stinker – Gollum!,” Jackson, Boyens and Walsh said in a statement when the film was announced. “As life long fans of Professor Tolkien’s vast mythology, we are proud to be working with Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy and the entire team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!”
“Yesssss, Precious. The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle Earth Peter, Fran and Philippa,” added Serkis. “With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our film making family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious…”.
“For over two-decades, moviegoers have embraced the Lord of the Rings film trilogy because of the undeniable devotion Peter, Fran and Philippa have shown towards protecting the legacy of Tolkien’s works, and to ensure audiences could experience the incredible world he created in a way that honors his literary vision,” WBD film chiefs Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca added. “We are honored they have agreed be our partners on these two new films. With Andy coming aboard to direct Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum(*WT), we continue an important commitment to excellence that is a true hallmark of how we all want to venture ahead and further contribute to the Lord of the Rings cinematic history.”