The Lord of the Rings will have a new Aragorn, the director of the film series’s newest installment has revealed.
Andy Serkis, who is directing The Hunt for Gollum as well as reprising his on-screen role as Gollum, told ScreenRant that he was ready to put the “speculation” about the role of Aragorn—played iconically by Viggo Mortensen— to rest.
“I don’t know what’s out there at the moment, but I know there’s a lot of speculation,” he said, “but let’s just say we are recasting the role and we are on the way to finding someone.”
The trilogy’s star, Elijah Wood, told the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast on Thursday that whichever actor takes over for Mortensen, in a story that would find Aragorn much younger than 67-year-old Mortensen is now, will have “tough boots” to fill.
The original trilogy of films released between 2001 and 2003 also starred Wood and Ian McKellen, both of whom are rumored to return for The Hunt for Gollum, though their roles have not yet been confirmed. Kate Winslet was announced as the film’s female lead last month, but the details of her part are being kept under wraps.
Serkis told the site that he wanted to keep as much about the upcoming project a secret as possible: “Other than, I think it’s probably common knowledge, but our film takes place between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and it’s The Hunt for Gollum, and it is a physical hunt for the character, but also a psychological hunt for himself.”
“So we’re just about on the launchpad now, and it’s very exciting. And yeah, it’s going to be a big ride.” As far as further details, Serkis added, “We’ve got to keep it all back.”
Despite the secrecy, Wood assured fans on Thursday that The Hunt for Gollum will meet their expectations.
“The larger creative team is essentially the same creative brain trust as the original film,” he said on the podcast. “So it’s the same production designers. It is the same makeup and hair team. Obviously, Weta FX are doing all of the physical effects. So it really is like a coming together of the original team. And then Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson—they’re all involved in the writing and producing."
He concluded, “It’s loaded with so many people who were a part of the making of the trilogy, devoted to making sure that they get the world right and the context right and do right by these characters, and tell a really fun, compelling, great new story incorporating them.”
The Hunt for Gollum will hit theaters on Dec. 17, 2027. And a second film, to be co-written by outgoing Late Show host Stephen Colbert, is also in the works.
