23 Years Later, the Next Lord of the Rings Movie is Bringing Back a Crucial Character

No Lord of the Rings fan is truly averse to more stories set in Middle-earth, especially if said story is set in the continuity of . “I know Andy [Serkis] wants to work with him — but also, we don’t see this as like, using A.I. [technology]. This is about a digital make-up.”

Digital make-up is a relatively new option for film productions, but it could potentially surpass deepfakes and other unconvincing techniques. De-aging Mortensen may be a bit easier with the technology, and because it generally takes a lighter touch, it could feasibly look better than other attempts to recreate a character from a forgotten era.

Ultimately, Boyens says, the decision rests with Mortensen. “Whether Viggo does it or not will entirely depends on how good the script is,” she continued. “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.”

The Hunt for Gollum isn’t the sort of story that needs to be told, but it could be a fun exercise for those involved with the original trilogy. In most cases, it makes more sense to recast a role than to rely on visual effects and digital de-aging, but given Jackson and Serkis’ love for motion capture performance, it makes sense that the duo would be trying to push the boundaries of what’s possible on-screen.

Whatever decision they make, let’s hope it’s worth it. Jackson and his team must have a good reason to focus on this chapter of Tolkien lore; if not to explore a hidden side of Gollum, then perhaps to reunite the cast of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy for reasons beyond mere novelty.