The Lord of the Rings universe is buzzing with excitement lately. Between the success of Prime Video‘s The Rings of Power and the upcoming animated feature The War of the Rohirrim, Tolkien fans are feasting on more than just lembas bread, which, as we know, is pretty dry at the best of times. But perhaps the most intriguing development is the newly announced live-action film, The Hunt for Gollum, which will be directed by Gollum himself in the form of Andy Serkis. And it sounds like a beloved face may be returning to Middle-earth… if the creative forces behind the movie manage to have their wish granted by Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), of course.

Philippa Boyens, one of the main architects of the Lord of the Rings franchise alongside Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, recently revealed in an interview with The Playlist that the new film features a pivotal role for Aragorn. Naturally, that would mean that the creative team is eyeing none other than Viggo Mortensen to reprise his iconic role from Jackson’s original two-decade-old trilogy and, while the film is in early development, conversations with Mortensen are already underway. However his involvement is by no means a sure thing at this stage. All they can do is ask. Boyens added that Mortensen hadn’t yet seen a script but that the onus was on them to write a part that was befitting of his abilities.

“Honestly, that’s entirely going to be up to Viggo. We’ve all spoken to him—Andy [Serkis], Peter [Jackson], myself—and I cannot imagine anyone else playing Aragorn. But it will completely depend on whether the script speaks to him.”

What is ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’ About?

Set during the timeline of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hunt for Gollum bridges the gap between Bilbo’s (Ian Holm) 111th birthday party and Frodo’s (Elijah Wood) journey to Rivendell. The story begins with Gandalf (Ian McKellen) tasking Aragorn to hunt down Gollum, fearing the creature might reveal the location of the One Ring to Sauron. While the story runs parallel to the events of Fellowship, Boyens explained that it also serves as a sort of Gollum origin tale, digging into the layers of Smeagol’s tragic history which began the day he laid eyes on the One Ring.

If Mortensen decides not to return, Boyens expressed a desire to involve him in another capacity. “If he decides he doesn’t want to do it, we’d still want him heavily involved—perhaps in a way to hand this character off,” she explained. “But that’s a decision months down the road.”

The film’s unique structure, meaning it sits as neither a prequel or a sequel but a parallel story (sort of like Wicked: Part Two will do next year), presents its own challenges. “The fate of several characters is already known, but as a storyteller, you use that to your advantage,” Boyens added.

Peter Jackson‘s The Lord of the Rings trilogy is streaming now on Max. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

via Collider