Viggo Mortensen will not reprise his role as Aragorn in Andy Serkis’ The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. In an interview with ScreenRant, Serkis, who directed the film and will once again be in front of the camera as Gollum, confirmed that Aragorn will be recast as a central character in the next Middle-earth movie.
“I don’t know what’s going on at this point, and I know there’s a lot of speculation, but let’s just say we’re recasting the role and looking for people,” Serkis revealed.
Aside from Serkis returning as Gollum, Kate Winslet is the only actor announced to appear in The Hunt for Gollum. The Oscar winner’s casting was confirmed by Variety last month, but details of her role remain a secret. Warner Bros. hasn’t revealed who else will appear in the next film, but series veterans Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen are rumored to be returning as Frodo Baggins and Gandalf, respectively.
“We have to keep everything hidden,” Serkis told ScreenRant about not revealing additional information about the film. “So, look, the rest of it is probably common knowledge, but our movie takes place between ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ and it’s ‘The Hunt for Gollum,’ and it’s not only a physical hunt for the characters, but a psychological hunt for ourselves. So we’re just at the starting point, which is very exciting. And, yeah, it’s going to be a big journey.”
Peter Jackson, who directed The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies, is producing The Hunt for Gollum with creative partners and franchise mainstays Fran Walsh and Philippa Bowen. Wood recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast and said finding a new actor to play Aragorn “would be tough.” Mr Wood told the Sunday Times that he did not want to recast the role of Frodo.
“As long as I’m alive and capable, I don’t want anyone else to play Frodo,” Wood said. “I always get a little nervous when people talk about new movies in a world like Middle-earth. Everyone wants to be a little protective and keep that level of integrity, but this story is fun and thrilling. There’s a real sense of the band being reunited.”
“You can also see how much fun it can be when the hat turns around in the movie theater and it’s Gandalf,” Wood added. “I’m a fan myself, so I’m excited to see how it all comes together.”
Warner Bros. and New Line are currently developing two Lord of the Rings movies. The Hunt for Gollum is being geared up to be made into a movie this year, and Stephen Colbert is currently co-writing another Ring movie with his son Peter McGee and Philippa Boyen.
“The Hunt for Gollum” is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 17, 2027.
