Hunt for Gollum Producer Hopes This LOTR Star Returns (and It’s Crucial They Do)

Lord of the Rings writer and producer Philippa Boyens says that the whole team is hoping to get original trilogy star Viggo Mortensen back for the upcoming movie The Hunt for Gollum. Boyens – one of the masterminds behind the franchise along with Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh – recently sat down for an interview with The Playlist. In an excerpt published on Wednesday, she acknowledged that Aragorn has a prominent role in the upcoming movie, and she and her colleagues are hoping to get Mortensen back to reprise the role.

There has been a lot of speculation about the casting for The Hunt for Gollum, and no one seems to have answers. Back in May, Mortensen himself told GQ that he hadn’t heard from anyone about the movie yet, but this week Boyens said that the ball is actually in Mortensen’s court. When asked if he would return, she said: “Honestly, that’s entirely going to be up to Viggo, collaboratively and we are at a very early stage. I’ve spoken to Viggo, Andy [Serkis] has spoken to him, Peter [Jackson] 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.”

Mortensen previously said that he would “I’ve spoken to Viggo, Andy [Serkis] has spoken to him, Peter [Jackson] 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 said that CGI de-aging technology would be the key to that issue, and it’s unclear how Mortensen feels about that.

[RELATED: Viggo Mortensen on Not Appearing in More Franchise Films, “They’re Not Usually That Good”]

“I know Andy wants to work with him, but also, we don’t see this as like, using A.I. [technology], this is about a digital make-up, and whether Viggo does it or will entirely depends on how good the script is,” she said. “And he doesn’t have a script yet. So to be fair to Viggo, let’s see if we write a good enough role and that he can find enough in it to see that it’s a performance he wants to take on. After that, it’ll be between Viggo and Andy of how that is achieved.”

Ultimately, if Mortensen opts not to play the role, Boyens said: “We would still want him to be heavily involved, like how do we hand this character off. But literally that decision is several, several months away. He’s got to read the script first and that’s exactly what I’m going to be working on when I get out of this interview [laughs].”

What is The Hunt for Gollum About?

Considering that Boyens is still early in the writing process and the star has not been cast, it’s beginning to seem a little ambitious for this movie to come out in 2026 as planned. The Hunt for Gollum is expected to cover a short period of time within the run of The Fellowship of the Ring. It would pick up after Bilbo’s 111th birthday party, where Gandalf began to suspect that the magic ring – now in the possession of Frodo – was the One Ring after all.

This could be a little confusing for fans on its own – in the movie version, all this happens in the course of about four minutes. Gandalf leaves Bilbo’s party to research the ring in a dusty library somewhere outside of the Shire. Meanwhile, we hear Gollum being tortured, shouting out “Shire! Baggins!” and we see the Nazgûl ride out. In the book, there’s a bit more clarity – Gandalf is off researching the ring for 17 years after the party. That includes him meeting Aragon, an expert tracker, who helps him find Gollum. Afterward, Gollum is captured by orcs and he tells Mordor’s forces about Frodo. Gandalf learns that the Nazgûl are headed for the Shire and warns Frodo, which is why he must flee.

In both cases, Gandalf and Aragorn’s hunt for Gollum takes place off-screen, though the book makes it a little more clear how much time passed here. It’s a pivotal part of this fantasy epic, and it could make a great movie – especially with this team in place. Commenters are bit divided over whether Mortensen should reprise his role all these years later, but many are hoping to see him back in his leathers once again.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is now streaming on Max. The Hunt for Gollum is in the early stages of pre-production, but is currently expected to premiere in 2026. You will have a chance to return to Middle-earth this month, however, when The War of the Rohirrim premieres in theaters on December 13th, 2024.