Andy Serkis revealed what Viggo Mortensen thought about being recast as Aragorn for the upcoming “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.”
While appearing on the “Happy, Sad, Confused” podcast Thursday, Serkis explained to host Josh Horowitz that there were no hard feelings from Mortensen when it was announced Jamie Dornan had been cast as Aragorn in the “Lord of the Rings” prequel. Serkis assured that Mortensen was “thrilled” about the casting.
“I really, really don’t want to go into it right now because I do want to save that for, you know, further down the line,” Serkis said. “I’m gonna save all discussion about casting. Other than that, we are thrilled that Jamie’s doing it. I mean, we’re, you know, we’re absolutely thrilled. And, by the way, so is Viggo.”
Serkis is pulling double duty for the newest film in the franchise—both directing and reprising his role as Gollum, whom he played in the three Peter Jackson classics from 2001–03. He isn’t the only original cast member returning for “The Hunt for Gollum.” Serkis is joined by Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Lee Pace.
“There is so much more to be dug out of this very complex character — the most, perhaps, complex character [J.R.R.] Tolkien wrote, because he kept revisiting it as well, right? You know, multiple times,” Serkis added. “And so there was a desire for a series of return to Middle-earth movies, and this seemed to be a great way in. To be able to bring some of the cast back, but also this is a very much more intimate story and a deep dive and psychological investigation into a character who has become, you know, sort of absorbed into public consciousness in a rather large way. So, it sort of feels like there is a real relevance.”
He added: “I think there’s still a wealth of stuff to be got out of the character, and it sits very neatly between the ‘Hobbit’ trilogy and the ‘Lord of the Rings.’ And it is a great, I think, of bringing audiences back into this world.”
Dornan is one of a few new names already announced for “The Hunt for Gollum.” He and the returning cast are also joined by Kate Winslet and Leo Woodall. Winslet is set to play Marigol while Woodall will bring Halvard to the big screen.
“The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” is set to be released on Dec. 17, 2027.
You can watch the full “Happy, Sad, Confused” episode in the video above.
