Jamie Dornan says he cried when he got the Aragorn role in The Hunt for Gollum

Some casting news hits harder than others. For Jamie Dornan, landing Aragorn in the new Lord of the Rings film was enough to bring on tears.

"I cried. I actually cried," the actor said in a recent interview. He is stepping into the role Viggo Mortensen made famous in the original trilogy, this time in The Hunt for Gollum.

What did he say?

"It's like a dream," Dornan said. "It's an absolute dream and an honor to be entering that world in any capacity, let alone playing a character of such significance and such admiration." He added that everyone loves what Mortensen did with the part in those three films.

He also revealed that he finished filming about three weeks ago and called it an "incredible experience." His hope? That fans welcome the story, because he knows "a lot of people care about it."

Is he feeling the pressure?

Yes, and he's open about it. Dornan told another outlet that Mortensen's performance is "one of my all-time favorites." He says he wants to recapture some of the energy Viggo brought to Aragorn, also known as Strider. "There's no part of me that's trying to outdo him," he said.

What is the film actually about?

Andy Serkis directs and also returns as Gollum. He has said the film "sits absolutely between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies." It is a deep dive into Gollum's psychology and history before he became Gollum.

The story also follows a burning question from Gandalf: where did the ring that Bilbo Baggins has come from? Serkis says the hunt takes place "in two different dimensions," and that's all he'll share for now.

The cast includes Anya Taylor-Joy, Leo Woodall, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen and Lee Pace.

What's next?

The film was announced in May 2024, with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens producing. Dornan's casting was reported in September 2025. Now that shooting is done, the wait is for the release: The Hunt for Gollum is set to reach cinemas on 17 December 2027.