While War of the Rohirrim hits cinemas this weekend, Lord of the Rings fans are already looking ahead to The Hunt for Gollum, and they have one big question: will Viggo Mortensen play Aragorn again? Well, we (may) have an answer.
It’s a bit of a strange time for Middle-earth. After the conclusion of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, the franchise lay dormant… until Amazon revived it with Rings of Power, its gargantuanly budgeted, divisive series set in the Second Age (that, somehow, still has Gandalf).
Earlier this year, it was announced that Jackson, Philippa Boyens, and Fran Walsh were returning for The Hunt for Gollum, a new live-action movie directed by Andy Serkis. Sir Ian McKellen is poised to reprise his role as Gandalf, but the status of the Fellowship’s other stars remains unclear.
With War of the Rohirrim’s release date fast approaching, we sat down with Boyens – and she gave us a big hint about how Mortensen could return as the fated king of Gondor and Arnor.
Viggo Mortensen will be “involved” in The Hunt for Gollum
As Boyens told us, there’s no way to tell The Hunt for Gollum’s story without including Aragorn. It’s expected to follow Gollum’s experiences with Sauron in Mordor, before attempting to make his way to the Shire.
As per Tolkien’s appendices, Gandalf sends Aragorn on a mission to find him. It’s sort of a prequel (most of it could unfold between Gandalf giving Frodo the One Ring and returning to the Shire).
“I would never want to recast that character. I don’t think Andy would. I think it’s going to be a question… honestly, it’s going to be a process,” Boyens explained.
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“We’re always in touch with Viggo. He has our heart, always, as that particular character. I think no matter what happens there, it will involve him. He’s either gonna hand it off or he’s gonna be able to play it.”
As Boyens pointed out to Mortensen, “if you look at how old Aragorn really is, he’s actually now the perfect age to play him.” When Aragorn meets Frodo in the first movie, he’s 87 years old, and Mortensen is 66.
One thing is clear: Mortensen will never be de-aged using AI, but Boyens floated the idea of using digital makeup.
“I know there’s a lot of people who worry about AI, and I think AI can only ever be a tool, so it needs to be kind of a digital makeup that an actor would wear as they would wear a costume.”
Speaking to GQ, Mortensen said he’d be open to reprising the role under one condition. “I would only do it if I was right for the character. It would be silly to do it otherwise,” he said.
Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim hits cinemas on December 13. You can also check out what we know about Rings of Power Season 3 and our list of the best movies of 2024.
