Dornan: Aragorn is 'always' Mortensen

Jamie Dornan has taken on the role of Aragorn in the upcoming Lord of the Rings movie. He replaces Viggo Mortensen, who played the character in Peter Jackson’s original trilogy. Dornan told L’Officiel Italia that he feels the weight of stepping into such a well-known part. “There’s pressure when you try to follow in those footsteps,” Dornan said. He noted that he has been asked to take on a super iconic role. “I’ll do my absolute best,” he added. Dornan maintains that the character will always belong to Mortensen in his mind. He described the original performance as one of his all-time favorites. The actor said he feels honored to capture even a small part of the energy Mortensen brought to the role.

Dornan clarified that he is not trying to outshine his predecessor. “There isn’t a single part of me that’s trying to do it better than he did,” he stated. The casting change aligns with the timeline of the new story. The film takes place between the original Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit movies. Mortensen is 68 years old. Dornan is 44. The younger age fits the character’s status as Strider during this specific period.

Leo Woodall joins the cast as the Dúnedain ranger Halvard. Woodall praised Dornan’s work on the project. “I can honestly say that, for me, Aragorn is now Jamie Dornan,” Woodall told the outlet. Andy Serkis directs the new entry. He also stars as Gollum and Sméagol. Several actors from the original films return to their roles. Ian McKellen reprises his part as Gandalf the Grey. Elijah Wood plays Frodo Baggins. Lee Pace returns as Thrandruil.

Kate Winslet and Anya Taylor-Joy join the franchise as new characters. Winslet plays Marigol. Taylor-Joy plays Seren. The film is titled The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. It opens in theaters on Dec. 17, 2027.