The new Lord of the Rings movie will star one of the franchise’s most beloved characters — played by a new actor.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum director Andy Serkis told ScreenRant that the film will indeed feature Aragorn, among other returning Lord of the Rings characters. However, he will not be played by the man who played that role in Peter Jackson’s three Lord of the Rings movies, Viggo Mortensen.
“I don’t know what’s out there at the moment,” he said, “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.”
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Although the details about Serkis’ movie are sparse, the film is known to be set between the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and the first Lord of the Rings novel, The Fellowship of the Ring. Frodo and Gandalf are also reportedly in the film — although whether Elijah Wood or Ian McKellen will reprise their roles from Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy remains unclear.
The only known member of The Hunt for Gollum cast so far is Kate Winslet, although Serkis has yet to reveal any details about her role. Asked who she is playing, he explained…
We’ve got to keep it all back. 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 scheduled to open in theaters on December 17, 2027. It’s one of two new Lord of the Rings movies in development at Warner Bros. at the moment. The other, it was recently revealed, is being written by late-night host Stephen Colbert.
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