Viggo Mortensen's Lord Of The Rings Comments Are Exactly Why He Needs To Return For A New Movie (Even If It's Not Hunt For Gollum)

Summary Mortensen's love for Aragorn is clear, but his age may prevent him from reprising the role in "The Hunt for Gollum."

Integrity is key in the Lord of the Rings franchise, and Mortensen's respect for the character of Aragorn is evident.

While Aragorn may need to be recast for the prequel, Mortensen could still return for future Lord of the Rings movies.

Actor Viggo Mortensen has commented on whether he would return for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and his words prove that he must come back for a new movie, even if it's not this one. Mortensen played Aragorn in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies, and this character should be a prominent figure in the upcoming Hunt for Gollum. However, since the story is set just before the events of Fellowship of the Ring, the actor may now be too old to play this version of Aragorn. Still, a gem like Mortensen could never be left out of the franchise entirely.

Jackson and Andy Serkis (who played Gollum in the director's previous Lord of the Rings movies) have joined forces for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which will tell the story of Gandalf and Aragorn's search for Gollum between the events of The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring. Though Hunt for Gollum has been confirmed, there is still no word regarding casting, aside from Serkis' return to play the titular character. It would certainly be preferred for Ian McKellen to play Gandalf again and for Mortensen to reprise his role as Aragorn, but the latter actor is wholly aware of the issue here.

Related 10 Lord Of The Rings Characters Who Can Return In The Hunt For Gollum Major characters including Aragorn, Gandalf, Galadriel, and more could return for The Hunt for Gollum, depicting another quest to find the One Ring.

Such Integrity Is Precisely What Is Needed In The Lord Of The Rings Movies

Custom image by Yeider Chacon

Mortensen was asked in an interview whether he would be willing to return for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and the actor made his love for the movie franchise clear. He said he would happily work with creative minds like Jackson and Serkis again and enjoyed playing the character enough to return. However, Mortensen also noted that his age would likely be an issue and that he would only return if his current age made sense for the character:

"Sure. I don't know exactly what the story is, I haven't heard. Maybe I'll hear about it eventually. I like playing that character. I learned a lot playing the character. I enjoyed it a lot. I would only do it if I was right for it in terms of, you know, the age I am now and so forth. I would only do it if I was right for the character. It would be silly to do it otherwise."

This isn't the first time Mortensen had stipulations about returning to play Aragorn. He reportedly turned down Jackson's offer to appear in The Hobbit since he found that it didn't serve the character or the legendarium. Overall, Moretensen's integrity regarding his Aragorn role is encouraging. It demonstrates how much he cares for The Lord of the Rings and the part he played in Jackson's franchise. For precisely this reason, Mortensen must return for a Lord of the Rings movie someday since his passion and care allow on-screen adaptations to connect with Tolkien enthusiasts.

Mortensen could be aged down with CGI in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, but Serkis would have to decide if this would be worth the added cost.

Aragorn May Need To Be Recast For Hunt For Gollum, But A LOTR Sequel Is Still Possible

Viggo Mortensen Must Return To The Lord Of The Rings Someday

Mortensen is correct that it wouldn't make much sense for him to play Aragorn at this point in Lord of the Rings' timeline. The actor was 43 when Fellowship of the Rings was released, which aligns well with the age Aragorn would have appeared to be during these events (of course, he was really much older). Now, however, Mortensen is in his 60s and naturally looks older than he did in Jackson's movies. Since Hunt for Gollum is a prequel, his filling the role wouldn't work without a lot of CGI interference.

Jackson and Serkis may be better off recasting Aragorn this time around, but that doesn't mean Mortensen couldn't return for future Lord of the Rings movies.

Jackson and Serkis may be better off recasting Aragorn this time around, but that doesn't mean Mortensen couldn't return for future Lord of the Rings movies. The characters' story continues well beyond the ending of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, since he reigned as King Elessar for over a century. Mortensen's comments indicate that he would be willing to return to the role if it made sense, and this seems like the most viable option. Given the actor's appreciation for the role and the Lord of the Rings franchise as a whole, it seems a waste not to make such an adaptation happen.