Jamie dornan and lee woodall join lord of the rings prequel

In a major casting coup, Warner Bros. and New Line have confirmed that Jamie Dornan (The Fall, Fifty Shades) will play Strider, the noble Dúnedain Ranger, in the upcoming Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hunt for Gollum. This announcement came as part of the studio's presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas today. Dornan will be joined by newcomer Lee Woodall (White Lotus, One Day), who has been cast as Halvard, Strider's fellow Dúnedain Ranger.

More returning stars, including thranduil and gandalf, confirmed for the film

In addition to Dornan's Strider and Woodall's Halvard, the prequel will also feature Lee Pace reprising his role as the Elvenking Thranduil, as confirmed in the studio's CinemaCon presentation. Other returning stars include Kate Winslet in a major role, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo, and Andy Serkis as Gollum, a character he famously portrayed in Peter Jackson's original trilogy.

The Hunt for Gollum is set between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, and is scheduled for release on December 17, 2027. This development comes on the heels of the announcement of another Lord of the Rings film, Shadow of the Past, which is currently in development and co-written by The Late Show host Stephen Colbert.