Belfast actor Jamie Dornan will play Strider/Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, releasing December 2027, with fans all making the same comment about the casting on social media
Film enthusiasts were already eagerly awaiting The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. However, excitement has soared even higher following the announcement of the cast for the upcoming picture.
Set for cinema release on December 17, 2027, the film is understood to fill the narrative space between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. It’s believed to centre on the concurrent quests of various significant groups attempting to track down Gollum, whose understanding of the One Ring renders him the most perilous figure in Middle-earth. While numerous specifics are still coming to light, a number of major cast roles have been verified or formally revealed.
Andy Serkis will not only direct the production but will also return as the title character, Gollum.
Ian McKellen is set to reprise his part as the wizard Gandalf, while Elijah Wood will once again portray Frodo Baggins.
Lee Pace is also coming back as the Elvenking of Mirkwood, yet the revelation that’s particularly thrilled LOTR devotees is that Jamie Dornan will take on the role of Strider, who’s subsequently unveiled as Aragorn in the original novel.
Following this week’s cast announcement, Lord of the Rings supporters took to Reddit with glowing praise for Dornan, 43, and his acting abilities.
Dornan, hailing from Holywood in Northern Ireland, has enjoyed a varied spectrum of roles throughout his career, spanning intense psychological thrillers and period dramas to more lighthearted comedies.
While broadly recognised for the Fifty Shades franchise, his performances in television dramas such as The Fall and films including Belfast have garnered considerable critical praise and substantial award nominations.
One enthusiast raved following the announcement: “Genuinely, the man is excellent. Go watch The Tourist for an idea of his range. He’s way more than 50 Shades and I’m a dude who doesn’t like 50 Shades type stuff haha. I feel awesome about these castings.”
Another concurred: “He was fantastic in The Tourist, hope it gets a third season.”
A third contributed: “He was impressive in The Fall also, that’s where I first became aware of him,” while someone else reflected: “He was also hauntingly good in The Fall. If he can channel that same intensity and quiet brooding into a younger, more ‘hunted’ Strider, he might actually pull this off.”
Offering additional commendation, another LOTR devotee penned: “I’m alright with this, hope he pulls it off,” as someone else responded: “He will, he has so much depth as an actor. He was great in Robin Hood, The Fall, The Tourist, Fifty Shades trilogy, and The Siege of Jadotville, and he’s not hard to look at either, girls.”
One more remarked: “That’s actually not a bad choice at all. It has renewed my faith.”
The film was initially scheduled for release this year, but the project has been pushed back to accommodate a thorough six-to-seven-month pre-production phase ahead of filming commencing in New Zealand this May.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login