In March, it was announced that a new ‘Lord of the Rings’ film, ‘The Hunt for Gollum,’ would be released in 2026. Andy Serkis will direct and star in the film, reprising the iconic character of Sméagol whom he first portrayed in Peter Jackson’s trilogy. ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’ producer Philippa Boyens confirmed that Aragorn will have a major role in the film, but it is not yet known whether Viggo Mortensen will return.
According to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, Jackson and his writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens will also return as producers and “will be involved at every step of the way.
Boyens recently revealed that the story will be set “after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines Of Moria.”
Aragorn is expected to have a fairly prominent role in the movie, as Boyens confirmed in an interview with The Playlist. As for Mortensen’s potential participation, it seems the decision is entirely in his hands.
“Honestly, that’s entirely going to be up to Viggo, collaboratively and we are at a very early stage,” she said. “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.”
If Mortensen decides to reprise the role, he will need to be digitally de-aged. However, Boyens clarified that AI will not be used to make the actor look younger.
