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From One Day to One Ring: Leo Woodall joins new The Lord of the Rings cast

Georgia Levy-CollinsBBC Newsbeat
Getty Images The headshot of Leo Woodall shows him wearing a white shirt with a black suit jacket and bowtie. He stands against a grey background with stars and has short brown hair and green-blue eyes. Getty Images
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum comes out next year

Warner Bros have revealed the long-awaited cast list for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

Making their debut in Middle-earth will be One Day's Leo Woodall, Fifty Shades of Grey actor Jamie Dornan and English actress Kate Winslet.

The cast announcement was made by Warner Bros at this year's CinemaCon presentation, which brings together studios and cinema executives for a first look at upcoming productions.

The film is due to be released in cinemas next year.

New Line via Getty Images Ian McKellen on the left is wearing a grey hooded robe holding a smoking pipe to his mouth. He has long grey straight hair and a long grey beard. Elijah on the right is looking at Ian. He has brown curly hair and is wearing a white shirt and open brown waistcoat. New Line via Getty Images
Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood appeared in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The movie, which will be directed by Andy Serkis, will follow Aragorn's early journey to find Gollum to keep the Ring's location from Sauron.

English actor Leo Woodall is a newcomer to the franchise and will play Halvard.

The 29-year-old gained recognition for his roles in HBO series The White Lotus, Netflix's romantic drama One Day and Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy.

Jamie Dornan will be playing Strider, who is known to fans as Aragorn.

Dornan will step into the shoes of Viggo Mortensen, who played the character in the original trilogy.

Bafta and Golden Globes nominee Dornan first gained recognition for his role in the Fifty Shades of Grey film series as Christian Grey in 2015.

Meanwhile the role of Marigol will be played by award-winning actress Kate Winslet.

When Warner Bros announced the casting news on their Instagram page, fans were quick to react.

Many were delighted about the return of familiar faces, with one fan commenting "we're so back".

Another wrote that it was the "best news ever".

Others were more reserved, with one asking: "Where is my brother Viggo Mortensen?"

Another fan commented to say they were "worried".

Sir Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis will reprise their roles as Gandalf, Frodo Baggins and Gollum/Sméagol respectively - with The Hobbit's Lee Pace returning as the Elvenking Thranduil.

The Lord of the Rings franchise has been hugely popular, taking about £2.5bn ($3bn) at the box office.

It maintained a global cult fan base decades before the films were released.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will be released in cinemas on 17 December 2027.

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