New Lord of the Rings movie confirms Aragorn recasting, but it's another returning character that's the biggest surprise

Warner Bros. has confirmed the official cast of upcoming prequel The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Announced at CinemaCon and via a video that hit us right in the nostalgia, the line-up is packed with a fair few surprises, including the return of a fan-favorite character.

The casting announcement revealed that Jamie Dornan will be playing Aragorn following Viggo Mortensen's exit. He's joined by Leo Woodall as Halvard and Kate Winslet as Marigol. There had been some early reports that The White Lotus star Woodall may be playing Aragorn, but it's now been confirmed that Fifty Shades of Grey star Dornan will be playing Strider in the upcoming movie.

It was also confirmed again that director Andy Serkis is back as Gollum, as are Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen as Frodo and Gandalf. However, one of the biggest surprise additions to the cast list is Lee Pace, who will be reprising his role as Thranduil from The Hobbit movies. Pace's Elvenking is a fan-favorite character, and the news has already been met with a lot of excitement from fans.

Reacting to the Instagram announcement of the cast, Nerd of the Rings reacted with some clapping emojis to Pace's return as another fan commented, "LEE PACE ARE YOU FOR REAL I JUST SCREAMED." Meanwhile, a third wrote: "Lee Pace coming back just made me so happy," as a fourth added: "Omg omg omg @leeepfrog will be back as Thranduil, the best news ever."

Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's appendices, the story of The Hunt for Gollum takes place during The Fellowship of the Ring, 17 years after Bilbo Baggins' 111th birthday, but before Frodo Baggins leaves for Rivendell. It sees Gandalf send Aragorn on a quest to find Gollum amid concerns he will reveal information about the One Ring to Sauron.

The Hunt for Gollum is due to be released on December 17, 2027. For more from Middle-earth, check out our guide to the best Lord of the Rings movie moments and our round-up of all you need to know about The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3.