It’s unbelievable that it’s been 25 years since the first of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies. They’ve become among the most beloved films of all time. Since then, we’ve gotten a trio of Hobbit movies about a decade ago. Now we’re getting Andy Serkis’ directorial effort, The Hunt for Gollum. What actors would assay the various major characters will always be on fans’ minds. Now, at CinemaCon 2026, we’ve learned a few of the main players, with a couple more welcome returns.
As part of the Warner Bros. presentation at the event, we got the following names: Andy Serkis will, of course, play Smeagol and Gollum. This was a given and frankly the whole reason the project exists. Additionally we have some names we knew. Sir Ian McKellen will once again play Gandalf the Grey. As we recently learned, Kate Winslet will play Marigol. A new actor will portray Strider (aka Aragorn) taking over for Viggo Mortensen. That actor is The Fall and 50 Shades star Jamie Dornan. Leo Woodall will play Halvard, a fellow ranger from the North. And two big returners: Lee Pace will play Thranduil, the ruler of the Wood Elves, and most excitingly, Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins.
Wood said recently that as long as he’s around, no one else should play Frodo. Makes a lot of sense to us. He’s as synonymous with that role as McKellen and Serkis is to theirs. We’re pretty excited to see what Serkis does with an entire film in Middle-earth to play with.
The director-star said the following in a statement:
“Across two trilogies, a mark of a Middle-earth film, has always been the formidable array of talent brought to bear in every role. 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.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will go into production this May with a release date December of 2027.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.