Viggo Mortensen will not reprise his role as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
Director and returning star Andy Serkis confirmed the news during a recent interview with Screen Rant. It’s a casting update that means one of the stars of the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy films will not return alongside some of his castmates when the film premieres late next year.
“I don't know what's out there at the moment, but I know there's a lot of speculation,” Serkis said, “but let's just say we are recasting the role and we are on the way to finding someone.”
Many fans have seen The Hunt for Gollum as an opportunity to reunite the team behind one of the all-time great film trilogies. Even Frodo actor Elijah Wood, who is also expected to return alongside Gandalf actor Ian McKellen, shared his excitement about “getting the band back together” just weeks ago. Mortensen said in 2024 that he was open to returning as Aragorn, too, though only if his inclusion made sense.
“Sure,” the then 65-year-old actor said when asked if he was open to reprising his role. “I don't know exactly what the story is, I haven't heard. Maybe I'll hear about it eventually. I like playing that character. I learned a lot playing the character. I enjoyed it a lot. I would only do it if I was right for it in terms of, you know, the age I am now and so forth. I would only do it if I was right for the character. It would be silly to do it otherwise.”
It seems Mortensen and the rest of the creative team weren’t able to work out a way for a proper return of the king, at least for now. That leaves the door wide open for a newcomer to step into the role, though details on who that may be remain a mystery for now.
The Hunt for Gollum is said to tell a story set between the events of The Hobbit trilogy and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, meaning some of these returning actors will play versions of characters younger than they were when they first portrayed them. Serkis has shown interest in using AI to de-age some of the cast in the past, pointing to possibly using the technology to make Legolas star Orlando Bloom fall more in line with the series’ elves, though, despite his interest, he is not confirmed to return yet.
The Hunt for Gollum is very much still being molded as it careens toward its December 17, 2027, release date. Although Peter Jackson is attached to return as a producer, it’s clear there are more casting choices to be made. One update from just last month saw Titanic actor Kate Winslet picked to star in the new Lord of the Rings movie as a mystery character.
“It's been a tightrope for all,” Serkis added. “I mean, the entire Lord of the Rings team who worked on the originals are reassembled, for a start. So it is grounded in the lore and the world and the vision of Peter Jackson's trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy. So it will feel like a proper Middle-earth film, there's no question, but there is a much more internal psychological investigation into one of Tolkien's most complex characters, i.e. Gollum. So it's a very interesting mix, and I think it is a tightrope for sure. A lot of the filmmaking techniques are ones that we are employing, which harken back to the first trilogy. I think it'll be a great marriage of a new story and an intimate story within the lore and world of Middle-earth that we all love.”
While Serkis puts the finishing touches on his return as Smeagol, you can read about the recently announced The Lord of the Rings follow-up film, Shadow of the Past, which is being written in part by The Late Show host Stephen Colbert. You can also read about why we think it might be time for the franchise to get the reboot treatment.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He's best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
source https://www.ign.com/articles/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-hunt-for-gollum-will-not-see-viggo-mortensen-return-as-aragorn