Jamie Dornan Says There’s ‘Pressure’ to Taking Over Aragorn Role in ‘Lord of the Rings: Hunt for Gollum’: I’m Not ‘Trying to Outdo’ Viggo Mortensen

Jamie Dornan is stepping into the shoes of Aragorn in “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” after the hero was famously played by Viggo Mortensen in the original “LOTR” trilogy. Dornan spoke to L’Officiel (translated by Slash Film) about taking on the role and playing a younger version in the prequel.

“There’s pressure when you’re trying to follow in those footsteps. I’ve been asked to play a super iconic role, and I’ll do my best. But for me, Aragorn will always be just Viggo. His performance is one of my all-time favorites, and I feel honored to try to recapture at least some of the energy he originally brought to the character. There’s no part of me that’s trying to outdo him,” Dornan said.

“The Hunt for Gollum” is directed by and stars Andy Serkis, who provided the voice and motion capture for the CGI hobbit in the original trilogy. Serkis, who has also helmed “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” and more, was the second unit director on Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” trilogy. “The Hunt for Gollum,” a standalone film, will be his first time as the main director on one of the fantasy franchise’s entries.

In addition to Serkis returning to Middle-Earth, “The Hunt for Gollum” brings back Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Elijah Wood as Frodo. Newcomers include Kate Winslet, Leo Woodall, Lee Pace and Anya Taylor-Joy. The new film will be told from Gollum’s perspective as Gandalf sends a young Aragorn out to find the corrupted hobbit. Before coming rising to fame as Aragorn, heir to the throne of Gondor, the hero is a lonely hunter known as Strider in “The Hunt for Gollum.”