Leo Woodall opens up about ‘boyhood dream’ of landing role in ‘The Hunt for Gollum’

Leo Woodall is calling his casting in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum a “boyhood dream.”

The actor recently spoke about becoming part of the famous fantasy franchise while attending the New York premiere of his new film Tuner, in which he stars as a piano tuner alongside 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 boyhood dream for me,” Woodall, 29, told People of joining the iconic franchise. “I watched it as a kid and I’ve seen it a million times, so to be 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 Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.

The movie will also feature several returning stars from the original trilogy. Ian McKellen is returning as Gandalf, Elijah Wood will again play Frodo Baggins, and Andy Serkis is reprising 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 is returning as a producer.

Filming is expected to begin in New Zealand in 2026, the same country where the original movies were made.

Serkis recently explained that the story takes place between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He says the movie will focus on both a physical and emotional search for Gollum.

The film is scheduled for release in cinemas on December 17, 2027.