The next film set in Middle-earth, The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum, is beginning to take shape ahead of its release next year. It’s just been confirmed that Kate Winslet has been cast to fill the slot as the main female lead for the film.
The Hunt For Gollum takes place just before the main events of The Fellowship Of The Ring, shortly after the 11th birthday party of Bilbo Baggins. As detailed in J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, when Gandalf begins to suspect that Bilbo’s ring could hold a much deeper meaning than he originally thought. He recruits the help of Aragorn, destined to take up the mantle of king, to search for the treacherous Gollum, once known as Sméagol, and to find out what he knows about Bilbo’s old precious ring.
Andy Serkis, Gollum himself, is returning to headline the film as well as direct, with LOTR trilogy veterans Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens returning to produce. Elijah Wood will also return to Middle-earth as Frodo Baggins, the young hobbit that inherits Bilbo’s ring, and Sir Ian McKellen, the wise wizard Gandalf the Grey.
Winslet’s appearance in Hunt For Gollum is far from the first fantasy franchise she’s starred in. With projects like Divergent to her name, she also appeared in James Cameron’s sci-fi series Avatar, including the most recent installment Avatar: Fire And Ash. In Deadline’s coverage of the news, they also noted that Winslet has worked with Jackson before, in New Zealand no less, on his 1994 drama feature Heavenly Creatures, alongside Melanie Lynskey and Sarah Peirse.
Deadline also noted that Winslet’s casting is set to be for the film’s female lead, yet it’s unknown right now just who she will be playing. Longtime fans have taken to speculating her character, however, with one prevailing theory being that she could play Gilraen, the mother of Aragorn, who sets her beloved son on his course to become the noble king he’s meant to be.
The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum hits theaters December 17th, 2027.
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