Credit: New Line Cinema
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will reportedly recast a fan-favorite actor from the original Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Who is the character being recast in The Hunt for Gollum?
Knight Edge Media is reporting that Aragorn will be recast with a younger actor in The Hunt for Gollum. Viggo Mortensen famously played Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. X user Viewer Anon confirmed the news, saying it was “very unlikely” that Mortensen would reprise his iconic role.
I can confirm this, or at least that a few months ago I heard it was very unlikely Viggo would return and WB was actively looking at recast options. https://t.co/659K9kJoYj— ViewerAnon (@ViewerAnon) December 9, 2025
In May 2024, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group announced that Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens will produce two new films from Tolkien’s Middle-earth for New Line Cinema and Warner Bros.
The first of two movies will be The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Andy Serkis will direct and reprise his role as Gollum. The new live-action movie picks up during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring before Frodo Baggins leaves the Shire to begin his quest. Gandalf sends Aragorn on a journey to find Gollum to stop him from reaching Sauron.
Aragorn will play a pivotal role in The Hunt for Gollum, which is why Mortenson’s name has been in casting rumors. Boyens previously stated in a December 2024 interview that Mortenson’s return would be his decision.
“Honestly, that’s entirely going to be up to Viggo, collaboratively, and we are at a very early stage,” Boyens told The Playlist. “I’ve spoken to Viggo, Andy has spoken to him, Peter 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.”
Boyens added that Serkis planned to use digital technology to de-age Mortenson if he wanted to return as Aragorn.
Walsh, Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou will write The Hunt for Gollum screenplay. Additional executive producers include Serkis, Ken Kamins, and Jonathan Cavendish.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum opens in theaters on December 17, 2027.
