As of now, it's looking increasingly likely that The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will feature a mixture of new and returning actors. Sir Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, and Elijah Wood will reprise their roles as Gandalf, Gollum, and Frodo. However, Leo Woodall, for example, looks set to take over from Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn.
With a story set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, many fans would like to see Evangeline Lilly reprise her role as The Hobbit trilogy's newly created Sylvian elf, Tauriel.
After all, with The Hunt for Gollum likely to end in Mirkwood, her showing up for a cameo alongside Orlando Bloom's Legolas and Lee Pace's King Thranduil would serve as a nice bit of connective tissue. Unfortunately, the actress suffered a brain injury last year and has since taken a step back from acting.
Asked by a fan on Instagram whether she'll return to Middle-earth, Lilly said, "Sorry to disappoint, but I wasn't invited. I did visit the team while they were in prep in [New Zealand], and it was so gorgeous to reconnect."
Some 2024 comments from Elrond actor Hugo Weaving have also resurfaced, where he made it clear that his time as part of The Lord of the Rings franchise has ended.
"Elrond is meant to be immortal, and I’m ageing. Elrond is one of the few characters, I think there are only three or four of them, who span through The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit. But even when we went back to reshoot certain parts of The Lord of the Rings, I was aware I was older than I was before. And shooting stuff on The Hobbit was starting to get slightly silly. I loved being a part of that franchise, but I have absolutely no plans or desires to be a part of it anymore."
So, that's a no from him, but in related news, Deadline has confirmed rumours that Avatar: Fire and Ash star Kate Winslet has joined the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. The role has not been disclosed, but it is one of the movie's female lead roles.
According to the trade, "Serkis and Peter Jackson spent most of last year coaxing Winslet to appear in the film, which means uprooting her family to New Zealand to shoot her scenes in the film from late May through to October."
"The new film follows Aragorn's perilous quest to capture Gollum before the creature can reveal the Ring's location to Sauron," adds the report. "The story, much of it developed from Tolkien’s footnotes, is set between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring."
Andy Serkis will direct The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and reprise his role as Gollum. Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh, who wrote The Lord of the Rings trilogy, are penning the screenplay, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim).
The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit director Peter Jackson, meanwhile, is producing the project. While Serkis and Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf the Grey) are the only cast members confirmed to return, the expectation is that an announcement revealing the full ensemble may be imminent before shooting starts later this year.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set to be released in theaters on December 17, 2027.