Kate Winslet is reuniting with her "Heavenly Creatures" director Peter Jackson for the upcoming "Lord of the Rings" film instalment "The Hunt for Gollum", directed by and starring Andy Serkis. Jackson is involved as a co-producer on the film, which takes place between "The Hobbit" and "The Fellowship of the Ring".
The news was first reported by Deadline, which confirmed that she has been cast as the female lead, without revealing her character's name. Filming will reportedly take place in New Zealand — the same place where she shot "Heavenly Creatures" — from late May to October 2026, with the release planned for late 2027.
"The Hunt of Gollum", which will use as its source material JRR Tolkien's footnotes associated with the LOTR book series, will centre on Aragorn's attempts to stop Gollum before he discloses the whereabouts of the Ring to Sauron. The script was written by Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou.
"The Hunt of Gollum" will see Winslet joining Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, and Andy Serkis reprising their roles as Frodo Baggins, Gandalf and Gollum, respectively. It's not yet known who will play Aragorn. Reports say Viggo Mortensen is unlikely to return and that English actor Leo Woodall is in talks to take on the iconic role.
Winslet last appeared in "Avatar: Fire & Ash" and "Goodbye June". The latter, which marked her directorial debut, saw her playing one of the lead characters. In an interview with Deadline, the Oscar winner also revealed that she is in the middle of discussions to return for the second season of HBO's critically acclaimed mystery series "Mare of Easttown".
