Kate Winslet is heading to Middle-earth.
According to Deadline, Winslet has joined The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum in the undisclosed role of the female lead. This comes after Andy Serkis and Peter Jackson spent most of last year coaxing Winslet to appear in the fantasy movie.
Winslet will film her scenes in New Zealand from late May through to October. The Hunt for Gollum reunites her with Jackson 32 years after she starred in his movie Heavenly Creatures.
Winslet joins a cast that includes three major Lord of the Rings alumni: Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, and Serkis as Gollum. Viggo Mortensen and Liv Tyler, however, are reportedly not returning as Aragorn and Lady Arwen, with Leo Woodall and Anya Taylor-Joy rumored to be succeeding them in their respective roles.
Set between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, the new Lord of the Rings film follows Aragorn’s perilous quest to capture Gollum before the creature can reveal the Ring’s location to Sauron. The story, largely developed from Tolkien’s footnotes, was scripted by Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou.
Serkis, who has recently been in Los Angeles and New Zealand in pre-production for the film, will serve as director in addition to returning as Gollum.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled to hit theaters on December 17, 2027.
Are you at all excited for The Hunt for Gollum? What do you think of the cast so far?
