Lord of the Rings star would consider returning with de-aging technology on one condition

A Lord of the Rings star has opened up about whether they'd return amid news of 2026 release The Hunt for Gollum being greenlit.

The iconic trilogy came to an end in 2003, however, it was followed by The Hobbit film series (2012-2014) and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power TV series which began in 2022.

And the spin-offs are set to continue too, with anime film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim set for release later this year, and a live-action series with Gollum at the helm confirmed by Warner Bros. currently set to begin in 2026.

But what does one of the stars of the original franchise think of returning to Middle Earth himself, even if it means sneaking a bit of de-aging technology in there to make it all work?

The upcoming anime release, which is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's books takes place 183 years before the iconic trilogy, centers on legendary king of Rohan Helm Hammerhand and sees original Two Towers' actor Miranda Otto return, reprising her role as Éowyn.

The live-action series of movies - full title Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum - will center around original Gollum actor Andy Serkis, who will not only star in it but direct too, with OG filmmaker Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens set to produce.

Sitting down with Viggo Mortensen - a.k.a. Aregorn - to discuss his latest directorial release Dead Don't Hurt, UNILAD asked the 65-year-old if he would ever follow suit.

Would Viggo Mortensen return to his role as Aragorn? (New Line Cinema)

When asked whether he'd return to a TV series or film adaptation of Tolkien's work if it meant incorporating de-aging technology - such as digitally editing the image, using computer generated imagery (CGI) or artificial intelligence (AI) - Mortensen told UNILAD: "Possibly, yeah."

"I'd like to see how they'd adapt that story," he continued. "I mean, if anyone can do it, he [Peter Jackson] proved it in Lord of the Rings. What he invented with his team still holds up quite well for the most part 20 years on, so if anyone can make that work really well..."

Other films have tried de-aging actors rather than casting a younger counterpart to play a character's past self, and while some have gotten away with it, or even received praised for using such technology - Ant-Man (2015), Blade Runner 2049 (2017) or 2019's Captain Marvel - others haven't worked out quite so well.

Mortensen said: "You know, they did that in The Irishman, I wasn't crazy about it."

The de-aging technology used in The Irishman left viewers divided (Netflix)

The Irishman's use of the technology to turn Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci into younger versions of themselves throughout the film was very technologically impressive - but left viewers divided.

One Twitter user said: "Watching The Irishman. The de-aging thing is so unnecessary and it doesn’t even work. He still looks and moves like an old man. I’ve never seen anyone beat people up so gently. Just hire another actor."

"I'm fine with the de-aging in The Irishman -- it's no more or less convincing than the 'youthful' makeup in GoodFellas." another added. "But I feel like they might've missed the boat by not hiring younger actors for the flashbacks. Jon Bernthal could be young DeNiro pretty convincingly."

Mortensen echoed how he likes The Godfather's 'use of Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando for the same character'.

"I thought that was interesting. It worked, it was really effective," he added.

And the actor resolved that there are ultimately certain conditions which would have to be met for him to be fully on board if returning to the world of LOTR with the incorporation of de-aging technology.

Mortensen revealed to UNILAD he'd be 'open' to returning with the use of de-aging technology too (Gisela Schober/Getty Images)

Mortensen said: "If they can do it in a way that's kind of seamless and works. Sure. I mean, I'd be open to it.

"If anybody can pull that off it would be Peter Jackson."

So, what do you think about bringing nearly 99 percent of the Fellowship's strength - not forgetting Samwise Gamgee too - back on screen with the help of some tech Ringers?

The Dead Don’t Hurt is on Digital Platforms 22 July. Distributed by Signature Entertainment.