The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum feels like a long-awaited reunion for the team behind Peter Jackson's seminal movies. A lot of the came crew are getting back together: Andy Serkis is both at the helm and reprising his role as Gollum, Ian McKellen is returning as Gandalf, and Peter Jackson himself is down as an executive producer. However, not everyone is returning. This includes some key cast from the original trilogy, for instance Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), who Serkis has confirmed is not involved.
Serkis confirmed the news that Mortensen is not returning during an interview with Screen Rant. Right now, the team behind the movie are in the process of recasting the role. As for any details beyond that, he plays it coy. “I don’t know what’s out there at the moment, but I know there’s a lot of speculation, but let’s just say we are recasting the role and we are on the way to finding someone,” he said.
While nobody has been cast as Aragorn — at least not officially — there's one name that keeps getting mentioned: Leo Woodall. The British actor, 29, has gained recognition for his roles in some big shows, not least The White Lotus. He more recently starred alongside Rachel Weisz in Netflix's saucy romance Vladimir. Throughout his career, he tends to portray more romantic roles, which has become a signature of his style. Playing Aragorn would be a significantly different angle for his career.
Andy Serkis teases key story details The Hunt for Gollum
The movie will no doubt take creative liberties, but it is still based on Tolkien's writing — specifically the appendices of The Lord of the Rings. The plot sees Gandalf send Aragorn after Gollum to stop him from spilling information about the One Ring to Sauron.
As for more specific details, Serkis adds: “I mean, look, 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.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set to premiere on December 17, 2027. The movie is expected to begin filming in New Zealand later this year. As always, we'll keep you posted on all the latest updates.