Leo Woodall Opens up About His Newly Created Lord of the Rings Role

Leo Woodall will play an original character in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Warner Bros. confirmed the casting at CinemaCon in April, alongside Jamie Dornan and Kate Winslet.

The British actor described the role as the fulfilment of a long-held ambition during an appearance at the New York premiere of his latest film, Tuner.

Leo Woodall on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum

Leo Woodall, currently starring in Tuner, spoke at the film’s New York premiere about what the LOTR role means to him. “It means everything. It’s a boyhood dream for me,” Woodall told People. “I watched it as a kid, and I’ve seen it a million times, so to be part of it now is incredible.” He declined to share details about the project, stating he “can’t tease anything.”

Woodall’s character, Halvard, does not appear in J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material and was created for the film. The character is one of the Dúnedain — a group of rangers — and joins Strider in the hunt for Gollum.

The wider cast includes several returning characters from Peter Jackson’s original trilogy. Ian McKellen reprises the role of Gandalf, Elijah Wood returns as Frodo Baggins, and Andy Serkis — who is also directing the film — takes on the role of Gollum once more. Jamie Dornan assumes the role of Strider, the ranger later known as Aragorn, a part Viggo Mortensen held in the original series. Kate Winslet joins the cast as well.

The upcoming movie sits chronologically between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies. Filming is scheduled to start in New Zealand in 2026, where previous Middle-earth productions were shot.

Warner Bros. first announced the project in May 2024. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is releasing in December 2027. But for those who want to catch Leo Woodall early on the screen, they can, as Daniel Roher’s movie, Tuner, is currently playing in theaters.

Source: Comingsoon.net