After 13 Years, The Hunt for Gollum Can Fix 1 of The Lord of the Rings’ Best & Most Underused Castings

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As a huge Lord of the Rings fan, I’m really excited about The Hunt for Gollum. It’s been 13 years since we last saw these characters, and this movie has a chance to really shine a light on some fantastic casting choices that didn’t get enough screen time. The story will fill in the gap between Bilbo’s birthday and when Frodo leaves the Shire, which means we’ll be revisiting the world of The Fellowship of the Ring. I’m especially curious to see how they bring back characters like Aragorn and Gandalf, though with a new actor playing Aragorn, it’ll be interesting to see their take on the role.

This wasn’t surprising, as these characters are important in the hunt for Gollum that happens before Frodo’s adventure in J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories. We’ll also see some other well-known characters, including Frodo – probably to connect the beginning and end of the story – and a beloved character from The Hobbit who’s due for more screen time and a more developed backstory.

The Hunt for Gollum Is Bringing Back Lee Pace as Thranduil

At a recent CinemaCon presentation, the cast for the new film, The Hunt for Gollum, was announced, and Lee Pace will be returning as Thranduil. He originally played the Elvenking in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy and is a perfect fit for the role. His appearance in The Hunt for Gollum makes sense because the story, based on Tolkien’s writings, involves Aragorn bringing Gollum through Mirkwood. It’s great to have confirmation that the character will return, and that Lee Pace will reprise his performance. Given how memorable he was in The Hobbit films, it’s a bit surprising Warner Bros. hasn’t featured him more until now – but this new movie gives them the opportunity to do just that.

Lee Pace’s Thranduil Is Amazing Casting But Underused in The Hobbit

Lee Pace’s performance as Thranduil was a highlight of The Hobbit trilogy. He perfectly embodies the iconic look of the Elvenking and captures many of the character’s key traits, like his aloofness, dignity, and powerful, yet thoughtful, leadership. While some argue the films don’t fully explore the character’s depth, Pace excels at portraying Thranduil’s more stern and adversarial side. The films show less of the fiercely protective and wise ruler found in Tolkien’s writing, though hints of those qualities are still present.

While the Hobbit films gave Thranduil a larger role than he had in the book – a consequence of stretching Tolkien’s story over three movies – he wasn’t featured enough in the larger Lord of the Rings series. Even within the Hobbit films, his character could have been explored more deeply, but he still made a memorable impact. Given his popularity and Tolkien’s writings about his involvement in key events, it’s surprising it took so long for Warner Bros. to bring Lee Pace back for another project. The enthusiasm for his portrayal is likely enough to attract audiences to a spin-off, and The Hunt for Gollum is finally doing just that, even though it’s been 13 years since The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

Hunt for Gollum Can Expand on Lee Pace’s Thranduil, 13 Years After Battle of the Five Armies

Finally, The Hunt for Gollum offers a chance to explore Lee Pace’s character, Thranduil, in more depth – something the series should have done earlier. A spinoff focused on him would be really interesting, and Warner Bros. seems willing to revisit that time period. Hopefully, this installment will give him enough screen time to show his dedication to Mirkwood and its people, really establishing him as a strong leader. It’s unfortunate The Hobbit movies weren’t made before The Lord of the Rings, because Thranduil could have been included then. But it’s good that the franchise is now addressing his absence from the original films. It’s been a long wait, but revisiting his story after 13 years is a welcome development. And with another film planned for 2027, we might even see him battling Sauron’s forces, which would be fantastic.

Lee Pace is coming back as Thranduil in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and we want to know what you think! Share your thoughts and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum.

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2026-04-17 02:40