'Lord of the Rings' Fans Are Divided Over New Aragorn Casting Rumor

Viggo Mortensen defined Aragorn for more than two decades, but at 67 he declined to return for Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. The studio asked him to come back and discussed de‑aging, but Mortensen ultimately said no, leaving Warner Bros. to pursue a recast.

Industry insider Daniel Richtman has named Leo Woodall as a candidate in talks to replace Mortensen. Woodall is familiar from The White Lotus Season 2 and Netflix’s One Day, and he recently starred in Netflix’s Vladimir alongside Rachel Weisz; he once pretended to play Aragorn when he was younger.

Fans remain split. On Reddit some praised Woodall’s fandom and potential: "So, the fact that he is a big LOTR fan is a huge plus for me. He will probably care about the role and isn’t just doing it for the money. I've seen very little of his acting but lots of people say he’s a great actor, I believe them." Others questioned whether his look fits Aragorn: "For me, it’s his baby face.

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