UPDATE: Winslet’s casting has been confirmed. She’s playing the female lead. A six month shoot awaits her, will Serkis May to October, in New Zealand — will they be shooting all three films of the trilogy back-to-back?
EARLIER: After Leo Woodall and Anya Taylor-Joy, here’s another rumored casting for Andy Serkis’ “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.” According to Knight Edge Media, Kate Winslet is apparently in talks to join the ensemble, which officially stars Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen.
Based on casting calls, Winslet’s supporting role might be either Gollum’s grandmother, or more likely, Gilraen the Fair and mother of Aragorn. If the movie depicts flashbacks from Aragorn’s early years, his mother appears throughout his childhood and remains alive until shortly before the events of ‘The Fellowship of the Ring,’ when she passes away.
Winslet famously turned down a role in Peter Jackson’s original ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy; she was considered for the part of Éowyn, the shield‑maiden of Rohan, but declined due to the scheduling conflicts.
How big is the ‘Hunt For Gollum’ ensemble going to be? Nobody knows, mostly because ‘Hunt for Gollum’ is not directly adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. It only seems to take inspiration from events alluded to in Tolkien’s writings, specifically the period between “The Hobbit” and “The Fellowship of the Ring.”
In Tolkien’s lore, this period covers Frodo’s quest to deal with the One Ring before the main ‘Fellowship’ story, including the hunt for Gollum after he escapes from the Misty Mountains. Aragorn also a key figure in the journey, sent by the Council of Elrond to assist Frodo.
Production on “The Hunt for Gollum” is set to commence this May in New Zealand. Warner Bros. has dated the film to hit theaters on December 17, 2027.