He Watched It a Million Times — Now Leo Woodall Is Living His Lord of the Rings Childhood Dream

Leo Woodall is heading to Middle-earth, and for him this is not just a cool gig. It is the childhood-dream-come-true kind of thing. The White Lotus breakout has signed on for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and he is not playing anyone from the books. He is stepping into brand-new territory.

Meet Halvard, Woodall's original ranger

Woodall will play Halvard, a newly created Dunedain ranger invented specifically for this movie. You will not find Halvard anywhere in Tolkien, which means Woodall gets to chart fresh ground inside a very sacred sandbox. He will be part of the hunt alongside Aragorn, so expect him in the thick of things rather than hovering around the edges.

"It means everything. It is a boyhood dream for me," Woodall told People. "I watched it as a kid and I have seen it a million times, so to be part of it now is incredible."

Why this hits right now for Woodall

If you are keeping score on his run: Woodall stole scenes as Jack in The White Lotus Season 2, then pulled off the slow-burn heartbreak lead in Netflix 's One Day. Most recently, he starred in Vladimir opposite Rachel Weisz. Point is, he has range, and dropping him into a ranger cloak feels like smart timing for both him and the franchise.

So what is The Hunt for Gollum?

The film pulls from Tolkien's footnotes to dramatize an episode fans have heard about but never watched play out: Aragorn's dangerous mission to track down and capture Gollum before the little guy can spill the One Ring's location to Sauron. Timeline-wise, it is set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, filling in a juicy gap the movies have skipped until now.

Andy Serkis is not only back as Gollum; he is also directing. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens are producing, with Walsh, Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou co-writing the script. The film is slated for December 2027. The ensemble was unveiled April 15, 2026.

The cast, old favorites and new faces

• Andy Serkis as Gollum (and directing)
• Ian McKellen as Gandalf
• Jamie Dornan as Strider (Aragorn's early alias)
• Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins
• Lee Pace as Thranduil
• Kate Winslet as Marigol (another original character)
• Leo Woodall as Halvard (original Dunedain ranger)

A couple quick notes

Dornan taking on Aragorn is a big swing, and yes, those are very large boots to fill. Also interesting: Frodo is listed here even though the story takes place before Fellowship. That likely means a framing device or clever timeline work rather than Frodo popping up mid-hunt, but we will see how they thread that needle.

Bottom line: Woodall gets to plant a brand-new flag in Middle-earth, Serkis is steering the ship, and the creative team that built the original trilogy is back in the mix. If you grew up looping these movies like he did, this is one to circle on the 2027 calendar.