Leo Woodall calls out his casting The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum a ‘boyhood dream’.
The actor recently spoke about joining the famous fantasy franchise while attending the New York premiere of his new film Tunerin which he plays the role of piano tuner together with Dustin Hoffman.
Woodall, 29, said he grew up watching the Lord of the Rings movies and has seen them many times over the years.
“It means everything. It’s a childhood dream for me,” said 29-year-old Woodall People to join the iconic franchise. “I saw it as a kid and I’ve seen it a million times, so to be a part of it now is incredible.”
Although he avoided sharing story details, it has already been confirmed that Woodall will play a new character named Halvard. The role was created specifically for the film and does not appear in the film The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien.
The film will also feature several returning stars from the original trilogy. Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf, Elijah Wood will once again play Frodo Baggins and Andy Serkis reprises his role as Gollum.
Meanwhile, Jamie Dornan will reportedly take over the role of Aragorn from Viggo Mortensen. Kate Winslet has also joined the cast.
The film was first announced in 2024. Serkis is directing the project, while original trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson returns as producer.
Filming is expected to begin in 2026 in New Zealand, the same country where the original films were made.
Serkis recently explained that the story takes place between The Hobbit And The Lord of the Rings. He says the film will focus on both a physical and emotional search for Gollum.
The film is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 17, 2027.
