Andy Serkis confirmed for the first time that the role of Aragorn will be played by a new actor in his upcoming The Lord of the Rings prequel, The Hunt for Gollum.

Serkis noted that while the team is currently in the process of recasting, they are making significant progress toward finding the right person to lead the 2027 film.

Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn in the original trilogy, will not be coming back. At 67, he is no longer the right fit for the younger version of the character that this story needs. The film is set before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, so the studio wants someone younger to take on the role.

Andy’s project is positioned chronologically between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, focusing on both a physical and psychological pursuit of the character Gollum.

Alongside Andy, Kate Winslet has been confirmed as part of the cast, though details of her role have not been disclosed.

Reports have also suggested potential returns for Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen, though these have not been officially confirmed.

Andy said: "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 (Viggo) role and we are on the way to finding someone."

"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 film forms part of a new wave of projects set in JRR Tolkien’s Middle-earth and is being developed by Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema.

It is scheduled to begin filming this year, with a planned release in December 2027.

Source: Press Release