Jamie Dornan to play Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn in new ‘Lord of the Rings’ flick

Fan favourite character getting recast in 'The Hunt for Gollum'

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Published Apr 16, 2026  •  3 minute read

Viggo Mortensen is shown in the role of Aragorn, in this undated production still from the "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." Photo by New Line Cinema

Viggo Mortensen won’t be making a return to Middle-Earth to play Aragorn/Strider in the new spinoff The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

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Warner Bros. announced this week at CinemaCon that Jamie Dornan, 43, will take over as the sword-wielding Aragorn in the upcoming film that is set between The Hobbit trilogy and The Fellowship of the Ring.

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Dornan is best know for starring in the 50 Shades series and Kenneth Branagh’s A Haunting in Venice.

On Instagram, reaction to the casting shakeup was mixed.

“If it ain’t Viggo, it AIN’T ARAGORN,” one fan complained, while another added, “Seeing someone else as Strider other than Viggo still breaks my heart, but I hope the actor does him justice.”

“Trading Viggo for 50 Shades?” a third person questioned. “Don’t mess this up, Jamie.”

Who else is starring in the new film?

Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in Peter Jackson’s original trilogy and in the first Hobbit movie, is set to direct.

Elijah Wood returns as hobbit Frodo Baggins, Lee Pace is back as King Thranduil and Sir Ian McKellen will reprise his role as wizard Gandalf.

In addition to Dornan, newcomers to the latest entry include Kate Winslet as Marigol and Leo Woodall as Halvard.

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“Across two trilogies, a mark of a Middle-Earth film, has always been the formidable array of talent brought to bear in every role,” Serkis said in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “The Hunt for Gollum continues in that tradition, and I am delighted to announce the return of two of Middle-earth’s most beloved performers, alongside some exceptionally talented new additions to (author J.R.R.) Tolkien’s world.”

The new film, which opens on Dec. 17, 2027, will follow Aragorn and Gandalf as they search for the corrupted Gollum after he obtains Bilbo’s ring.

Serkis recently confirmed in an interview with ScreenRant that Mortensen would not return to The Lord of the Rings cinematic universe. “Let’s just say we are recasting the role and we are on the way to finding someone,” he said.

Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in ‘The Lord of the Rings.’ Photo by New Line Cinema

The original Lord of the Rings films were a massive success at the box office, grossing nearly $3 billion worldwide and winning 17 Academy Awards. Jackson’s subsequent Hobbit trilogy earned nearly as much.

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Warner Bros. officially announcedThe Hunt for Gollum in 2024.

What has Mortensen said?

That same year, Mortensen said he would be open to returning to the franchise that turned him into a global star.

“I’m looking forward to being in touch with them and finding out what they have in mind,” he told Postmedia in an interview. “You never know. It was a great experience to be part of the Tolkien universe and everything he based those stories on.”

The Hunt for Gollum isn’t the only Lord of the Rings movie in the works. The studio has also commissioned late-night host Stephen Colbert to write another spinoff entitled Shadows of the Past.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline and Variety, “Shadow of the Past is set 14 years after the passing of Frodo. Sam, Merry, and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began.”

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