Jamie Dornan cried after being cast as Aragorn in new Lord of the Rings movie

Jamie Dornan cried when he was cast as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings prequel The Hunt for Gollum.

The Fifty Shades of Grey actor is playing Strider/Aragorn, the role Viggo Mortensen made famous, in the upcoming movie, which is set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies.

When asked how he reacted to being cast, Dornan told Entertainment Tonight, "I cried. I actually cried... It's like a dream. It's an absolute dream and an honour to be entering that world in any capacity, let alone playing a character of such significance and such admiration, and that we all love and love what Viggo did with that role in those three films."

Dornan noted that he finished filming the movie in New Zealand three weeks ago and had "a brilliant time".

"It was an incredible experience, and I hope people welcome our story into that world because a lot of people care about it, and I really realise that. But yeah, hopefully we've done a good job of it," he added.

The Northern Irish actor began filming the fantasy epic in New Zealand in July, alongside new cast members Leo Woodall, Kate Winslet and Anya Taylor-Joy.

The newcomers joined Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, Lee Pace as Thranduil and Andy Serkis as Gollum.

Dornan previously told L'Officiel Italia last month that he felt "pressure" following Mortensen in the "super iconic role".

"I'll do my absolute best. But for me, Aragorn will always be Viggo, and only Viggo," he stated. "His performance is one of my all-time favourites, and I feel honoured to try and capture even a little bit of the energy he originally brought to the character."

The Hunt for Gollum, directed by Serkis, is set to open in cinemas on 17 December 2027.