Jamie Dornan has been cast as Aragorn in the upcoming film The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, according to Warner Bros. This marks a significant shift from the role that Viggo Mortensen famously portrayed in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The announcement was made during the studio’s presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Dornan will take on the character under his alias, Strider, which is how Aragorn is first introduced in The Fellowship of the Ring.
Earlier in March, there were speculations that Leo Woodall, known for his role in The White Lotus, might take on the part. However, this speculation has now been put to rest, with Warner Bros confirming that Woodall will instead play Halvard, a Dúnedain who joins Strider on the hunt for Gollum.
Kate Winslet has also joined the cast, portraying Marigol, the matriarch of the Stoors. Several actors from the earlier films are expected to return, including Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins. Lee Pace is set to reprise his role as Thranduil.
At the For the Love of Fantasy event in London last year, McKellen hinted at the presence of Frodo and Gandalf in the film. Earlier this year, Wood declined to confirm or deny McKellan’s comment, only stating that “a wizard is to be trusted.”
The Hunt for Gollum is directed by Andy Serkis and produced by Peter Jackson, the director of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. Serkis, who played Gollum in both the original trilogy and The Hobbit, will once again portray the title character using motion capture technology.
The film is set between The Hobbit trilogy and The Fellowship of the Ring. It follows Aragorn as he attempts to track down Gollum before the creature can reveal the location of the One Ring to Sauron. The screenplay was written by Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who worked on the original trilogy, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.
Serkis shared his excitement about the film, stating, “Across two trilogies, a mark of a Middle-earth film has always been the formidable array of talent brought to bear in every role. The Hunt for Gollum continues in that tradition, and I’m delighted to announce the return of two of Middle-earth’s most beloved performers, alongside some exceptionally talented new additions to Tolkien’s world.”
In May 2024, Mortensen told GQ that he was not aware of the story and would only return if he fit the character in terms of age. “I would only do it if I was right for the character,” he said. “It would be silly to do it otherwise.” In June of the same year, he told The Hollywood Reporter that he would consider returning if it made sense for the script. “The script is the most important thing to me unless I’m broke, I have no money and I’m lucky to get any job. So it depends,” he added.
The original Lord of the Rings trilogy was released from 2001 to 2003, followed by The Hobbit trilogy between 2012 and 2014. Both trilogies were massive successes, each earning around $2.9 billion worldwide at the box office.
In October 2025, screenwriter Philippa Boyens told Empire that The Hunt for Gollum is “quite an intense story, which falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines Of Moria.” “It is a specific chunk of an incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature,” she added.
The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled for release on 17 December 2027.
