The Hunt for Gollum is the next movie Lord of the Rings fans have to look forward to, but recent recast rumors are a worrying prospect for the film — and now is the worst time for such a big change. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set to debut in 2027, and it will return viewers to the timeline of The Fellowship of the Ring. However, despite Peter Jackson's involvement as executive producer and Andy Serkis' return as Gollum, Middle-earth may look different than what we're used to.
The upcoming Lord of the Rings film will feature familiar characters, including Gandalf and Aragorn. Both play notable roles in the search for Gollum in J.R.R. Tolkien's books, so it's impossible to get around. However, while many fans were hoping that the original cast of Jackson's movies would reprise their roles, recent rumors suggest otherwise. Specifically, they claim that Viggo Mortensen will be recast as Aragorn.
Fortunately, there's been no confirmation of these whispers, which would almost certainly cause a stir among the fandom. It's a choice that would be controversial at the best of times, but it's a truly risky one after the last few years of Lord of the Rings content.
The Hunt for Gollum faces an uphill battle with or without a recast
If Warner Bros. is truly committed to extending the Lord of the Rings franchise, recasts are probably inevitable at some point — though replacing the stars of a series still regarded as one of the greatest fantasy feats of all time is going to be an uphill battle whenever it happens. And Mortensen as Aragorn is especially iconic; it's difficult to picture anyone else capturing the ranger-turned-king quite so effectively.
The biggest reason a recast is too risky for The Hunt for Gollum, however, is the Lord of the Rings' track record over the last 10 years. The original trilogy remains beloved, but The Hobbit films are remembered less fondly. And more recent attempts to bring Tolkien's world to the screen have been met with heavier criticisms. It's a pattern that doesn't bode well for the 2027 film, recast or not.
While The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power isn't connected to Warner Bros.' projects, it still impacts how viewers are feeling about the property as a whole. The Prime Video show is on an upward trajectory after a strong second season, but there are still diehard Tolkien fans unhappy with its portrayal of Middle-earth. Its reception hasn't been anywhere near as strong as the response to Jackson's movies. Unfortunately, the show's struggles are dimming the excitement surrounding Middle-earth's future on-screen.
And The War of the Rohirrim's dismal box-office numbers — per Box Office Mojo, the film made just $20K worldwide — aren't helping. The animated film is proof that the franchise is losing momentum, which makes it even more paramount that The Hunt for Gollum succeeds. Sadly, a major recast seems like the worst way to do that. It would double-down on recent complaints when courting more criticisms is the last thing the film should be doing.
Recasting Aragorn is the worst thing The Lord of the Rings can do right now
Recasting Aragorn would be a hard sell even if The Lord of the Rings franchise was booming. With its downward spiral in recent years, it feels especially unwise.
Chasing nostalgia won't guarantee that The Hunt for Gollum succeeds. However, a strong connection to Jackson's original movies is something the film should lean into. Doing so would promise a return to the franchise's heights, incentivizing both dedicated and casual fans to head to theaters. That traction is sorely needed after The War of the Rohirrim. If it doesn't materialize, studios could learn the wrong lesson and give up on the franchise — and even large-scale fantasy projects — on the silver screen.
Reusing the movies' cast would also ensure continuity between The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hunt for Gollum. This would be ideal with Serkis' Gollum returning; having a mix of original stars and newcomers would be confusing otherwise. That alone could take audiences out of the film, resulting in negative reviews and greater reluctance to dive in.
Of course, the importance of strong continuity goes beyond that. A lack of fidelity to the source material and continuity issues are at the center of The Lord of the Rings franchise's recent criticisms. To ignore the desire for tighter storytelling and confuse the timeline would only invite more complaints.
It would also put the Lord of the Rings movies' legacy in jeopardy, which would be a true blow to the franchise. Adding new details and retconning things unnecessarily would reflect poorly on Frodo's story, and the connections would make it harder to keep the first three films separate from the rest. If Warner Bros. is prepared to take such a huge risk, it should keep it removed from the main series.
There are better risks The Lord of the Rings franchise could have taken
If The Lord of the Rings franchise was going to take a big risk like recasting Aragorn, it should have moved away from the original trilogy entirely. Of course, this would have come with its own challenges — ones The Rings of Power is already facing. While Tolkien's writings cover much of Middle-earth's world-building and history, turning them into a full story means diverging from his work and potentially alienating purists.
Even so, exploring stories outside of Frodo's feels like a safer bet than trying to revisit the original movies, especially with a new cast. It's something the franchise would have struggled to pull off even if it wasn't in a tough spot. Now, it feels like an insurmountable obstacle that could have been avoided.