The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum without Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn

Viggo Mortensen will not be playing Aragorn in "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum". Director Andy Serkis confirmed this in an interview with ScreenRant.

There had already been speculation about whether Mortensen would reprise his signature role from Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" films or be replaced by another actor. Serkis' statements now make it clear: The star will not be returning to the fantasy franchise. He told ScreenRant:

"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."

The question remains: who will replace Mortensen? Leo Woodall was recently mentioned as a possible candidate for the role of Aragorn. Many may recognize the actor from the second season of the HBO anthology series "The White Lotus." Most recently, he starred in the Netflix series "Vladimir" alongside Rachel Weisz.

The Lord of the Rings: What the new film is about

"The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum" is intended to complement the events of Peter Jackson's 2001 film "The Fellowship of the Ring." Aragorn is set to play a central role. In the new cinematic adventure set in Middle-earth, he is to embark on a quest to find Gollum. Director Andy Serkis said:

"It is a physical hunt for the character, but also a psychological hunt for himself."

Serkis, who has also made a name for himself as a director with films like "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," isn't just taking on the directing duties. He will also once again portray the role of Gollum via motion capture. Aside from Serkis, there may be a few other returning cast members from the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. A reunion with Ian McKellen as Gandalf is expected. There is also speculation that Elijah Wood could make a comeback in the role of Frodo. It is considered a certainty that Kate Winslet will be part of the cast. However, the role the "Titanic" star will play has been kept under wraps so far. We'll know more by the end of next year at the latest: "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum" is set to hit theaters on December 17, 2027.

The Hunt for Gollum is not the only new film

In addition to "The Hunt for Gollum," another "Lord of the Rings" film is currently in the works. The working title is "The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past." What makes it special: The idea comes from Stephen Colbert. The late-night star is best known as the host of the CBS show "The Late Show," which will end with its final episode on May 21 2026. He had previously been involved with the "Lord of the Rings" cinematic universe: In "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," Colbert made a cameo appearance as a spy in 2013.

Now he is set to be involved in the production of a new "Lord of the Rings" film. How did this come about? The TV host was inspired by six chapters from the first "Lord of the Rings" book, "The Fellowship of the Ring," which were not included in Peter Jackson's film trilogy. He approached Jackson and got lucky: Colbert was able to convince the director of his idea.

Since then, the two have been working with Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh on the new "Lord of the Rings" film, whose story apparently takes place some time after the events of the original trilogy. Fourteen years after Frodo's passing, Sam, Merry, and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam's daughter Elanor discovers a long-kept secret. She tries to find out why the War of the Ring was nearly lost before it had even begun.