Jamie Dornan, set to portray a younger Aragorn in the forthcoming film The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, has expressed his respect for Viggo Mortensen's iconic performance as the character, stating he is not aiming to supersede it. Dornan acknowledged the pressure of taking on such a significant role, telling ScreenRant that for him, "Aragorn will always be just Viggo."
Dornan, widely recognized for his role in Fifty Shades of Grey, shared his admiration for Mortensen's portrayal, calling it one of his all-time favorites. He feels honored to endeavor to capture some of the energy Mortensen originally brought to the character, and stressed that he has "no part of me that's trying to outdo him."
Viggo Mortensen has previously voiced his support for Dornan's casting, stating he was "thrilled" by the decision. Mortensen had also indicated in the past that he would only consider returning as Aragorn if it felt authentic to the character and suggested he was not keen on digital de-aging technologies, a technique that might be employed in The Hunt for Gollum given the presence of younger-looking versions of Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Elijah Wood as Frodo.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will explore the events occurring between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The film will follow Gandalf and Aragorn as they pursue Sméagol across Middle-earth to determine if a particular magical ring is indeed Sauron's One Ring. This narrative arc is briefly outlined in J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The Fellowship of the Ring, but the movie aims to expand these passages into a full story. Andy Serkis is returning as Gollum and will also direct the film. Lee Pace is set to reprise his role as Thranduil from The Hobbit trilogy, and Leo Woodall will join the cast as Halvard, a Dúnedain Ranger accompanying Aragorn. Filming for the project commenced earlier this year. Meanwhile, Peter Jackson has confirmed that The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past is currently in the scriptwriting phase, following earlier rumors of cancellation.