According to Knight Edge Media, Viggo Mortensen will not be returning to play Aragorn in the highly anticipated The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum movie.
The report claims that despite the studio originally hoping for Mortensen to return, several actors have already met with Andy Serkis about taking on the role.
Serkis, who played Smeagol and Gollum in the original Peter Jackson-helmed The Lord of the Rings trilogy and then again in The Hobbit trilogy, directs Hunt for Gollum.
It should be noted that casting for the movie has reportedly begun, which could suggest some official announcements coming our way in the upcoming months.
Aragorn is expected to play a big role in the movie, as in the original lore, he is the one who goes on a hunt to find Gollum before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring.
Ian McKellen is set to return as Gandalf, alongside Elijah Wood, who will be returning as Frodo, despite both actors having lived over two decades of life since the original instalment.
Thankfully for McKellen, Gandalf the Grey’s appearance will only work more with McKellen now, as his age will reduce the time needed in the makeup department.
Wood is commonly referred to as never-ageing, so his reprisal shouldn’t be too much of an issue.
Mortensen’s return, on the other hand, had fans much more divided.
Some are rallying for Mortensen to return, while others would rather a new actor or no movie at all, especially when de-ageing technology comes into the discussion.
However, if you ask us… Some good movie makeup, an Aragorn wig, and maybe some hair dye could easily win most over with Mortensen returning.
Sadly, if the report is true, he won’t be back either way.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, as of writing, is set to be released in theatres on December 17th, 2027.
