The Hunt For Gollum Could Bring Back A Key Lord Of The Rings Character

The upcoming "The Hunt for Gollum" movie from Warner Bros. has been stirring up interest and intrigue from the moment it was announced earlier this year. Overall, the reaction has been positive, and there has been a general buzz as news leaked that the movie will be directed by Andy Serkis and have Peter Jackson and other Middle-earth alumni on board. British national treasure Ian McKellen also revealed that he had been approached to reprise his role as Gandalf, and John Rhy-Davies even expressed interest in a return (sans makeup).

Despite all of these fun developments, the most recent bit of news regarding potential casting takes the cake. The powers that be are talking with the man himself, Viggo Mortensen, to return as Aragorn. In an interview with The Playlist, writer Philippa Boyens said that she, Peter Jackson, and Fran Walsh (collectively referred to as the "brain trust" of the resurgent Middle-earth movie movement) are on board with Viggo reprising the role. The rest is up to the actor himself. Boyens said,

"Honestly, that's entirely going to be up to Viggo, collaboratively and we are at a very early stage. I've spoken to Viggo, Andy [Serkis] has spoken to him, Peter [Jackson] has spoken to him, we've all spoken to each other and honestly, I cannot imagine anyone else playing Aragorn, but it will be completely and entirely up to Viggo."

Boyens added that she knows Serkis wants Mortensen back. She also clarified that the question here isn't about aging, AI de-aging, or "digital makeup," as she calls it (that came up when actor Orlando Bloom was asked about returning earlier this year). Boyens explained,

"Whether Viggo does it or will entirely depends on how good the script is. And he doesn't have a script yet. So to be fair to Viggo, let's see if we write a good enough role and that he can find enough in it to see that it's a performance he wants to take on. After that, it'll be between Viggo and Andy of how that is achieved."

Philippa Boyens' comments on Viggo Mortensen's need to work with a good script don't come out of thin air. Nor is this new information. In the past, Mortensen has already expressed that returning to Tolkien's world isn't off the table. However, as with all of his acting, he doesn't want to make a return to Aragorn based on money or just doing things for the fun of it. He wants to put the work in only if a project is worthy — especially in this beloved fantasy world.

When the prominent Tolkien fan leader Nerd of the Rings asked what his conditions would be if Mortensen was approached for a return to Middle-earth, the actor responded:

"Generally speaking, I would like it to feel like a Tolkien story. First of all, the way it reads, that it feels connected, consistent with what Tolkien was writing about, you know? His source material, what he was trying to say. And I would think if it's Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and the people like that who are behind this in some way, even if they're not directing one of the stories, they're going to make sure that it has that feel — I mean, they certainly got the look and feel of Tolkien. It felt right, even if they did some things that weren't in "The Lord of the Rings," the look and feel of everything they did was respectful of Tolkien's storytelling, I think, and so it would be that, first and foremost."

Just for the record, Mortensen also expressed an openness to be involved behind the camera (Serkis style) in future Middle-earth adaptations if the opportunity arises — an experience we would be on board with every step of the way. This also jives with something Philippa Boyens said in The Playlist interview when she clarified that even if Mortensen decides it's time to pass the torch, they would still love to have him on board for the production and the process of handing the character off. She added that the final decision is months away and definitely won't come until he gets a script.

So, what will "The Hunt for Gollum" be about? This question has been broken down ad nauseam since the working title announcement. We already know several tidbits, like the fact that the story will take place between "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" stories (a period of roughly 77 years) and will likely track Gollum's activities after he loses his Ring. Serkis also told Deadline that the film will explore Gollum's psychology.

Now, Philippa Boyens has gone on record specifying that the movie will focus on a time after Bilbo's 111th birthday party and shortly before Frodo leaves the Shire (a stretch of just 17 years). She added that it would start with Gandalf sending Aragorn on a quest to find Gollum (something that happens in the books), which would make the Ranger a central figure in the plot. Boyens said:

"Yes, it's deliberately the bridging film and the story we wanted to tell. It does center on Gollum/Smeagol, so it's a little bit of an origin story going on, but when you delve into it, as you do with anything Professor Tolkien wrote, you see the layers and layers of story that's underneath there and how interconnected they all are."

Boyens also added the obvious but essential clarification that the fate of several main characters would already be known. This doesn't make it impossible to tell a good story, but that kind of foreknowledge requires a specific narrative presentation if they want to turn it from a disadvantage to an advantage. These are the challenges facing "The Hunt for Gollum" at the moment, and yet, as Warner Bros.' other Middle-earth adaptation, the anime "The War of the Rohirrim," charges into the theaters, these kinds of updates on future Tolkienian projects are cheery fodder for an excited fanbase as they look forward to a bright future filled with potential.