‘The Hunt For Gollum’: Kate Winslet Is First Casting Selection For Andy Serkis-Directed ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Spinoff Film

Well, it looks like we have our first NEW casting addition hired for WB and New Line Cinema‘s next entry in the Middle-Earth saga, as Kate Winslet has been tapped for a “lead” part in “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” being directed by Andy Serkis, who will also reprise the Gollum role.

This breaking casting update from Deadline (backing up a previous post from Daniel Richtman on the actress joining the film) also mentions that production is expected to kick off in May, with Winslet uprooting her family to New Zealand for the five-month shoot, wrapping sometime in October.

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Winslet isn’t a very shocking addition after she got one of her first big breaks thanks to Peter Jackson‘s “Heavenly Creatures” in 1994, and was once offered to play fierce human royal Rohan warrior Eowyn in “The Two Towers/Return of the King,” that role that sees her slaying the Witch King (the standout of the nine Nazgul, the ghostly black rides controlled by Sauron), would end up going to Miranda Otto.

Serkis takes the reins from Jackson, who previously helped him shoot “The Hobbit” trilogies as the movies’ second unit director and has since helmed multiple studio pics on his own, such as the “Venom” sequel for Sony Pictures. While the version of this “Gollum” story they’re adapting from the book takes place during the events of “Fellowship of the Rings,” it may or may not include events further in the past of the Third Age (ended after the fall of Mordor in “Return of the King“).

There is a strong possibility that Winset might be playing a newly created role (rumors are claiming she’s playing Smeagol‘s grandmother in flashbacks, we’ll see if that pans out) as author J.R.R. Tolkien didn’t create a lot of female characters for his books, and we saw Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly playing the movie-created elf character, Tauriel, for “The Hobbit” movies. We cannot wait to learn more, as the source material they’re adapting from is pretty thin and likely would have to beef up the script with new characters alongside old favorites.

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Orlando Bloom and Ian McKellen are expected to reprise the roles of Legolas and the iconic wizard, Gandalf the Grey, with some coy responses by Elijah Wood, he may return to the Frodo Baggins for “The Hunt For Gollum.” There are also online rumors that Leo Woodall and Anya Taylor-Joy may also be up for lead roles, but that is yet to be confirmed, so stay tuned for further casting updates as they roll in.

“The Hunt For Gollum” has already been slotted to hit theaters on December 17, 2027. However, that is going to be a tad tricksy since Disney has already planted their “Avengers: Secret Wars” flag there on that date, and we’ll see if either ends up moving out of the way.