Jamie Dornan to Play Aragorn/Strider in ‘The Hunt For Gollum’

So, that original report, from DanielRPK, was right about one thing: Leo Woodall is in ‘The Hunt For Gollum.’ However, contrary to what was reported, Woodall is not playing Aragorn — he’s actually been cast as Halvard.

Rather, it’s Jamie Dornan who will replace Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn/Strider. Dornan is mostly known for “Fifty Shades of Grey” and the BBC crime drama “The Fall.”

The rest of the cast includes Elijah Wood as Frodo, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Kate Winslet as Marigold, Lee Pace as Thranduil, and Andy Serkis as Smeagol/Gollum.

There’s been a lot of talk about Serkis’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ prequel. Mortensen refused to come back, and ‘Lord of the Rings’ writer Philippa Boyens publicly acknowledged that Mortensen had been asked multiple times to sign on. The result is that Dornan is now replacing him. He’ll have some big shoes to fill.

‘The Hunt For Gollum’ is set during the “The Fellowship of the Ring” era, shortly before Frodo Baggins leaves the Shire for Rivendell. The film starts with Gandalf sending Aragorn on a quest to find Gollum, fearing the creature may reveal vital information about the One Ring to Sauron’s forces. The film is supposed to fill in a key gap in the timeline leading up to the events of ‘Fellowship.’

This is all very ambitious, but my main concern is Serkis directing the film. Somehow, Warner Bros. gave the green light to Serkis’ expensive ‘Hunt for Gollum,’ and that was before his upcoming “Animal Farm” had its trailer openly mocked online. In fact, Serkis’ directing work, which includes “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle” and “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” doesn’t give one much hope that ‘Gollum’ will turn out great. Here’s hoping I’m proven wrong.

Production is set to begin in May, with a December 17, 2027 release already planned via New Line/Warner Bros.