“The Hunt for Gollum” teaser reveals cast, but fans reject one major recast

Warner Bros. has unveiled the first teaser for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. The film is set during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring and focuses on the previously unexplored chapter in which Aragorn and Gandalf track down Gollum before Sauron can get to him. The teaser itself offers little more than a music-backed still image of a familiar Gollum-like moment, showing the creature perched high above and staring at his precious. Even so, the clip is already generating plenty of discussion, because it also confirms the main cast – and one role in particular is splitting the fanbase: Aragorn, likely the character, alongside Frodo, for whom the wish to see the original actor return was strongest.

Instead of Viggo Mortensen, Jamie Dornan will take on the role of the future King of Gondor in The Hunt for Gollum. The Irish actor is still best known to many viewers for his role as Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey. His casting has quickly become the biggest talking point surrounding the film. That is not necessarily because fans doubt his acting ability. Rather, as many community reactions suggest, Mortensen’s version of Aragorn is simply regarded as irreplaceable. There are certainly some fans who can imagine Dornan as the heir to Gondor, but many reject the idea of recasting the role altogether.

Based on his work to date, Dornan should be more than capable of delivering a strong performance as Aragorn. To win over the wider fanbase, however, that performance would likely have to be exceptional. One top Reddit comment captures the mood with a joke: “He’ll break his toe trying to fill those big shoes” – a reference to the famous scene in the second Lord of the Rings film in which Aragorn kicks an Uruk-hai helmet in frustration over the Hobbits he believes to be dead and, in reality, breaks his toe.

Many familiar faces elsewhere in the cast

What may ease the disappointment for some fans is the number of familiar actors returning in other roles. Andy Serkis is back once again as Gollum and will also direct the film. Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo and Lee Pace as Thranduil. New additions to the cast include Leo Woodall as Halvard and Kate Winslet as Marigol.