For months, rumors have claimed that Viggo Mortensen will not return for “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” but the talk around Aragorn has stayed exactly that—talk, nothing confirmed so far, not a peep from anyone. That has spawned further rumors that say on-the-rise actor Leo Woodall (“Tuner”) is being eyed as Mortensen’s replacement. But again, all of this is big “if true” so far (though most of the Internet treats it as a known fact, which suggests the worst-kept “secret” alive). What changed this week, however, is not a studio announcement, but something a little more revealing: Elijah Wood sounding like he’s at a stage of acceptance, suggesting the rumor is more than just speculation.
In a recent Happy Sad Confused interview, Wood—who still won’t confirm if he’s back in the movie as the hobbit Frodo—described the film in much smaller, more specific terms than a full-scale trilogy follow-up.
“It is a side quest. It’s a side story,” he explained about its narrative pivot. “I think it’ll provide a lot of context for Gollum and an understanding of that character that we only got a bit of in the prologue. I think we’ll see more of that.”
Asked if he thought this film would live up to the expectations of the beloved original trilogy, he said, “I don’t think it has to.”
“It doesn’t bear the weight of the trilogy,” he continued. “It’s not the trilogy. It’s not those books, but it is certainly excerpts from the books. And it is characters from the books. And it is all canon. I can say that.”
But the line that really jumped out comes when Aragorn entered the conversation. Asked about Mortensen, the host, seemingly presuming the story was already true, Wood did not push back or reject the idea that Mortensen wasn’t coming back and agreed that following in the actor’s footsteps wouldn’t be a job he would want.
“That is true,” Wood said, not confirming Woodall as replacement, or Mortensen’s exit, but that replacing Aragorn would be a super tough act to follow. “Those are tough boots, man. That is tough. I can’t imagine. But that’s going to be great.”
None of that amounts to formal confirmation that Mortensen is out, but it certainly leans toward corroboration, especially when you watch the video (see below). And it is a more pointed public signal than anything anyone in the old cast has said so far.
It also lands against a very different official backdrop from a few months ago. In December 2024, Philippa Boyens said she, Andy Serkis, and Peter Jackson had all spoken with Mortensen, that Aragorn has a prominent role in the film, and that the decision would ultimately come down to Mortensen after he read the script. She even said she “cannot imagine anyone else playing Aragorn.”
Regardless, Wood went on to explain why the project seems to matter to the people making it. “I really, I know that this was something that was super important to [director] Andy [Serkis],” he said. “And I think they got excited at the notion of a nugget of a story. And then they wrote it and realized that they had found the ‘why.’ Like, ‘Why are we doing this?’ Well, this is why we’re doing it.” He added that the film is “filled with integrity” and stressed how much of the original creative team is back, saying, “Certainly the larger creative team is essentially the same creative brain trust as the original film…same production designers…it is the same makeup and hair team. Obviously, Weta effects are doing all of the physical effects.”
EW reported earlier this year that Wood was already describing the film as a “getting the band back together” project, with Serkis directing.
It also fits what Boyens has said about the story itself. “The Hunt for Gollum” is set during the “Fellowship of the Ring” era, after Bilbo’s birthday party and before Moria, with Gandalf sending Aragorn out to find Gollum. Boyens called it a “bridging film,” which is really just the more elegant version of Wood’s “side quest” framing.
The larger point remains the same: the movie’s biggest casting question is still Aragorn, and the studio still has not publicly settled it. But if you were looking for the strongest indication yet that the Mortensen era may, in fact, be over, Wood just provided it. Warner Bros. and New Line currently have “The Hunt for Gollum” dated for December 17, 2027. Watch the full video below.
