There’s big Middle-earth news this morning, as Jamie Dornan has been cast as Strider/Aragorn in Andy Serkis’ upcoming Lord of the Rings film, The Hunt for Gollum.
The announcement was made last night at CinemaCon, much to the delight of fans of the franchise.
The IFTA-winning star, best known for roles in The Tourist, Belfast and The Siege of Jadotville, is stepping into the boots of Aragorn, a character immortalised by Viggo Mortensen in Peter Jackson’s iconic trilogy.
Dornan will be joined by a stacked cast including Kate Winslet, Leo Woodall, Lee Pace, Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood.
Serkis, who famously played Gollum, will direct the film, having previously worked closely with Jackson as Second Unit Director on The Hobbit trilogy.
The Hunt for Gollum is set for a global release in December 2027 and will act as a prequel to the events of The Fellowship of the Ring.
Closer to home, Dornan has been keeping busy, he recently hosted Saturday Night Live UK and received rave reviews from viewers.
The British version on the long-running American sketch show got underway last month, with Nicola Coughlan and Graham Norton both making appearances.
In his opening monologue, Jamie revealed his love for collecting rocks that look like potatoes, with viewers even getting a glimpse at some of the collection.
‘Look at these gorgeous little things,’ he said, ‘And no, this isn’t a joke. God knows, I wish it was.’
Jamie went on to encourage people to Google it to double-check that he was telling the truth.
‘Seriously, this is who you want to sleep with?’ he wondered.
Elsewhere, the 43-year-old featured in some of the sketches, and won the viewers over with his comedic acting.
One such sketch saw Jamie playing a father, and his daughter is ensuring he turns the clocks forward before it’s too late.
‘The Time Man’ is said to travel around the world to ensure everyone has fixed their clocks accordingly, with Jamie noting he will ‘imprison our souls’ if a clock is out of place.
While last week generated a mixed bag of reviews, this week appeared to be more solid with audiences getting to grips with the new show.
‘Another solid episode of #SNLUK,’ one praised on X, ‘The cast and sketches felt more confident and bold, and Jamie Dornan was a really fun host.
My one complaint: there wasn’t nearly enough George Fouracres this week!!!’
Another said: ‘His monologue was a bit nervy, but Jamie Dornan is BRILLIANT so far, this kidnapped sketch is incredible.’
A third commended: ‘I didn’t know Jamie Dornan was so good at comedy.’
