Beloved Lord of the Rings star reveals he would only return to franchise on one condition-Asyia Iftikhar-Entertainment – Metro

Viggo Mortensen loved playing his character Aragorn (Picture: New Line Cinema)

Twenty years after the acclaimed Lord of the Rings franchise ended, filmmaker Peter Jackson is returning with a prequel and it could host some familiar faces.

It’s no secret that Aragorn, played by Viggo Mortensen, is one of the most revered and celebrated characters in the fantasy series among fans from around the world who have firmly placed the King of Gondor at the top of their list.

Despite the 65-year-old actor’s adoration for the King of Gondor and Middle Earth, he has never reprised his role – not even when offered to return during the Hobbit trilogy.

But that could all change for the upcoming prequel based around Gollum with just one caveat.

Earlier this month, Peter, 62, announced he was on board to produce 2026 live-action Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Andy Serkis has also confirmed his return not only as the titular Gollum but also as director.

When asked if he would consider returning, Viggo told GQ: ‘I don’t know exactly what the story is, I haven’t heard. Maybe I’ll hear about it eventually.’

Viggo hasn’t returned to the franchise in over two decades (Picture: WireImage)

The film will be set during the start of the first Lord of the Rings film, Fellowship of the Ring and told from the perspective of the tortured Smeagol.

Viggo continued: ‘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.’

The response isn’t an outright refusal, although given Viggo was in his 40s when he originally played Aragorn it would prove a task for Peter and Andy to incorporate his character in an age-appropriate way.

Although Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav said the film would ‘explore storylines yet to be told’.

Co-star Andy Serkis is on board to star and direct in the new live-action (Picture: Invision)

None of the other actors have confirmed whether they, too, will feature (Picture: Pierre Vinet/New Line/Saul Zaent)

What’s more, this is not the only film Warner Bros aims to create as part of the ever-expanding Lord of the Rings cinematic world.

In February the company confirmed it had plans for ‘multiple films’.

‘With Andy coming aboard to direct Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, we continue an important commitment to excellence that is a true hallmark of how we all want to venture ahead and further contribute to the Lord of the Rings cinematic history,’ studio leaders Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy added.

So there’s every chance the swashbuckling, ever-charming Aragon could get his own dedicated film. A dream fans can only wish for.

Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is currently set to come out in 2026.

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