Viggo Mortensen’s Aragorn Will Be Recast in THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM
There’s been a lot of excitement surrounding Andy Serkis’ upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum, especially with the promise of reuniting several members of the original cast.
Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Sean Bean, and Orlando Bloom are all expected to step back into Middle-earth. The big question looming over everything has been whether Viggo Mortensen would return as Aragorn. Now we finally have an answer, and it’s going to hit fans right in the heart.
Despite long-standing hope from both fans and creatives, the role of Aragorn will not return to Mortensen. Knight Edge Media has confirmed that the character will be recast with a younger actor.
It’s a tough pill to swallow. Mortensen’s portrayal is iconic, and seeing him once again wield the ranger’s quiet strength would have been awesome. At the same time, with The Hunt For Gollum taking place during the Fellowship of the Ring era, the studio is aiming for an actor who matches Aragorn’s younger timeline.
This shift comes after months of internal conversations. Last year, writer Philippa Boyens said that Aragorn plays a major part in the film and that the team genuinely hoped Mortensen would return. She explained the situation, saying:
“Honestly, that’s entirely going to be up to Viggo, collaboratively, and we are at a very early stage. I’ve spoken to Viggo, Andy [Serkis] has spoken to him, Peter [Jackson] has spoken to him, we’ve all spoken to each other and honestly, I cannot imagine anyone else playing Aragorn, but it will be completely and entirely up to Viggo.”
The idea of using digital techniques was on the table. The studio considered de-aging technology for Mortensen, especially since he appeared semi-open to returning through. But, it seems that’s not the direction they are going with this character.
Several actors have already met with Serkis about stepping into the role, though their identities are being kept quiet. Fans have already been wondering how McKellen, Bloom, Wood, and Bean could return two decades after The Lord of the Rings wrapped. According to Boyens, they may use digital makeup rather than fully leaning on artificial intelligence.
She explained the approach in more detail: “I know Andy wants to work with him, but also, we don’t see this as like, using A.I. [technology], this is about a digital make-up, and whether Viggo does it or will entirely depend on how good the script is.
“And he doesn’t have a script yet. So to be fair to Viggo, let’s see if we write a good enough role and that he can find enough in it to see that it’s a performance he wants to take on. After that, it’ll be between Viggo and Andy of how that is achieved.”
The Hunt For Gollum is set just before Frodo leaves the Shire. The story begins with Gandalf sending Aragorn to track down Gollum, a thread that has always existed in Tolkien’s lore but has never been fully explored on screen.
It’s an adventure that naturally demands a younger Aragorn, and Boyens had previously noted that if Mortensen chose not to return, they would have no choice but to “hand off” the character. That moment has arrived, and it’s sure to get fans talking.
Losing Mortensen in the role stings, but it also opens the door for a fresh interpretation during a period of Aragorn’s life. With Serkis directing and the original creative team circling back around Middle-earth again, there’s still plenty to be excited about.
The casting decision may not land smoothly with everyone, but the journey to finding Gollum is officially moving forward, and it’s shaping up to be a fascinating return to Tolkien’s world. It’s going to be interesting to see who ends up being cast as Aragorn. Whoever it is has some big shoes to fill.