Jamie Dornan Will Play Aragorn in The Hunt for Gollum

Jamie Dornan will play Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, according to Variety, published on 28 October 2026. He takes over a role that Viggo Mortensen made famous in the original trilogy.

The film is directed by Andy Serkis, who also stars in it. It is told from Gollum's point of view. In the story, Gandalf sends a young Aragorn to find Gollum. Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf, and Elijah Wood returns as Frodo.

Dornan knows the comparison is coming. He told Variety that there is pressure in following Mortensen's footsteps, and that for him Aragorn will always be Mortensen. He called Mortensen's performance one of his all-time favourites.

Dornan also said he feels honoured to try to recapture at least some of the energy Mortensen brought to the part. He was clear that no part of him is trying to outdo Mortensen. In an interview with L'Officiel, he talked about playing a younger version of the character, the Aragorn who appears before the events of the original films.

Recasting a famous character is a familiar move in long-running franchises, and it often comes with a question about how the new actor will shape the part. Here, the film's makers have chosen to show Aragorn at an earlier stage of his life, which gives Dornan room to play a different version of the ranger than the one audiences know.

Those details would come from the studio that holds the rights, and none had been announced.

For fans, the news is the first clear sign of who will carry Aragorn in the new film. It also signals that Serkis is returning to Middle-earth in front of the camera and behind it, with McKellen and Wood back in their roles.