Huge Lord of the Rings star has ‘absolutely no desire’ to return for new film
One of Lord of the Rings’ biggest stars has shut down a comeback for the franchise’s new film to be released in 2026.
Twenty years after the acclaimed movies ended, Peter Jackson is returning as a producer with a prequel focussed on Andy Serkis’ character Gollum.
But while Andy has confirmed he will reprise the role – and be the film’s director- his former co-star Hugo Weaving is not on the same page.
The Slow Horses actor, who played Elrond in the original films, said he had ‘absolutely no desire’ to be a part of Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
When asked by GamesRadar+ about a possible return, Hugo, 64, replied: ‘Personally, I’ve had enough of that. It was great being in New Zealand on and off over a ten-year period.
‘I did then go back and work with the same team [director Peter Jackson and writer Fran Walsh] on a project called Mortal Engines which was going to be their next big franchise, but it died on its arse.
‘So, I’ve had enough of Middle-earth I don’t imagine anyone would ask me to do it again.’
Hugo also said he would not be the right actor to portray Elrond now because the character is an ‘immortal being’ while he had aged.
He explained: ‘Elrond is meant to be immortal and I’m aging. Elrond is one of the few characters, I think there’s only three or four of them, who spans through The Silmarillion, Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit.
‘But even when we went back to reshoot certain parts of Lord of the Rings, I was aware I was older than I was before. And shooting stuff on The Hobbit was starting to get slightly silly.
‘I loved being a part of that franchise but I have absolutely no plans or desires to be a part of it anymore.’
Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn in Lord of the Rings, also shared his reluctance to return to the franchise – unless it was ‘right’ for the character.
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.’
He 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.’
Details of Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum are being kept under wraps but Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav said the film would ‘explore storylines yet to be told’.
It is also 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.
Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is currently set to come out in 2026.