Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum Eyes Leo Woodall as Aragorn

Middle-earth might be getting a new Aragorn. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is rolling forward, Andy Serkis is back in the cave as Gollum and in the director's chair, and the big question of who picks up the ranger's sword looks like it finally has a frontrunner.

Leo Woodall is circling the 'main role'

Per industry chatter, Leo Woodall — yep, the breakout from The White Lotus and Vladimir — is in talks for what is described as the "main role" in The Hunt for Gollum. Read between the lines and that points straight at Aragorn. The production has been working on this casting for a while, and recasting the part always felt like the likeliest path once it became clear they were not sticking with the original plan to bring back Viggo Mortensen.

To be clear, Woodall is not official yet. But if this sticks, he is the guy walking into some very large boots.

Another big name in the mix

One more eyebrow-raiser: Anya Taylor-Joy is also said to be in talks for the film. No word yet on who she would play — they are keeping that one sealed — but this is a swing-for-the-fences kind of addition.

"Main role" is the phrasing being used for Woodall's talks.

Where things stand right now

• Title: The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum
• Director: Andy Serkis, who is also reprising Gollum
• Aragorn: Long-running search appears to have zeroed in on Leo Woodall, who is in talks for the main role
• Original intent: There was an aim to bring back Viggo Mortensen at one point, before the shift to recasting
• New addition: Anya Taylor-Joy is in talks; role unknown for now
• Status: Talks are ongoing, so pieces can still move, but the direction feels pretty clear

More as this one firms up. If Woodall closes, we will finally see who they think can track a creature like Gollum through the wilds — and make it look effortless.