Middle-earth has been sitting in a weirdly fascinating place for a while now. It’s one of the most beloved fantasy worlds ever put on screen, but every new return to it comes with a slightly different kind of pressure. Fans don’t just want scale, spectacle, and familiar names.

They want that feeling back.The Hunt for Gollum has already had people curious ever since it was announced, mostly because it promises to zero in on one of the strangest and most iconic figures in the entire Lord of the Ringssaga. Now, the movie has taken a major step forward with its first cast reveal.