Lord Of The Rings’ Aragorn Is Entering An Entirely New Era In 2027 Return

Published Nov 10, 2026, 10:43 AM EST

Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.

Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."

Aragorn is coming back in 2027 with a new The Lord of the Rings release to start a new era.

Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movies brought many of the beloved characters J. R. R. Tolkien created to live-action. One of the most popular players in the high fantasy movie franchise was Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn. He was not one of the characters who came back for Jackson's latest chapter in the universe, The Hobbit movie trilogy led by Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, which featured names like Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, and more. Now, Aragorn will return in a new 2027 movie, starting an exciting era, which his new actor has explained.

Speaking to Collider, Jamie Dornan addressed taking over the role of Aragorn from Mortensen and how the character enters a new era in 2027's The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. According to the actor, it is both a privilege and an honor to be stepping up as the new Aragorn in one of the biggest movie franchises of all time. Dornan also teased how his portrayal of the character would be different from Mortensen's, as Aragorn is going by Strider, the Dúnedain Ranger, and does not face the same kind of pressure that he had in Jackson's movies. Check out the full quote below:

"Oh, man. [Laughs] Well, you know, it’s just a mad privilege and honor to be literally filling those boots and wearing that costume. And we’re seeing them at a different point — we’re seeing him as very much Strider, the Dúnedain Ranger. It’s sort of before all of the weight and expectation of being the rightful heir to Gondor and all of that weight that has been placed upon him; it’s obviously that he knows that’s who he truly is, but it’s not being thrust on him in the same way it is in Fellowship, so we’re seeing him at a different point."

Dornan's casting as Aragorn makes sense, as the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum take place between The Hobbit movie trilogy and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and also during the start of the latter. As such, this is a younger version of Aragorn than the one the 68-year-old Mortensen could realistically play without the need for expensive de-aging technology in every shot the character appeared in the fantasy movie. Given how the character is in his Strider era, it also makes sense to go for a fresh actor, tapping into that change.

For his part, Dornan knows his way around major franchises, as the actor was part of the erotic Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, which was a major box office sensation despite being controversial. In recent years, Dornan has been showing off his range more, with 2022's Belfast, a gripping drama, earning the star a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Golden Globe Awards. Dornan has also shown he has the physicality for Aragorn through projects like Heart of Stone, a spy thriller where he played an MI6 agent who was not afraid of getting his hands dirty.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum's new take on Aragorn will be balanced by the return of franchise veterans, with Andy Serkis back as Gollum/Sméagol in addition to directing the film, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo, and Lee Pace as Thranduil, with the latter returning after appearing in The Hobbit trilogy. Strider's journey through the wilderness and eventual settling into his role as Aragorn, the heir to the throne of Gondor, should give Dornan plenty to work with when the franchise finally returns to the big screen in 2027 with The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.