Mortensen admits that the producers once offered him to reprise his role as Aragorn in 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey', though there were no further talks.
- Nov 23, 2011
AceShowbiz - Viggo Mortensen is not listed in the current cast line-up of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey", but he once got an offer to return to Middle Earth for the "Lord of the Rings" prequel. The actor recently revealed that Peter Jackson was asking him to reprise his role as Aragorn in the upcoming film.
In an interview with Movies.com, Mortesen said, "At one point, the producers asked if I would do it and I said sure if Aragorn is supposed to be in the bridge story because he's not in 'The Hobbit'." He added, "I would rather do it than see someone else do it, but I've never been asked [formally] and they're shooting the movie."
Mortesen claimed that the chance to see Aragorn in "The Hobbit" is very small. "I'm not in it unless if there is some last-minute plan they have, but I thought I would have heard of it by now," he said.
"Orlando Bloom and Cate Blanchett shot something, but they're elves and don't change as rapidly," the 53-year-old actor added. "As you know, Aragorn is half elf and also lives a couple hundred years or more and he could be in a bridge, but I have to assume it isn't going to happen."
Though he will not reprise his role as Aragorn in "The Hobbit", Mortensen admitted that playing the character in the three "Lord of the Rings" movies means a lot to him. "That was an important period in my life," he shared.
"And I will always be grateful that the trilogy was so successful and gave me a lot of new opportunities. I never would have gotten 'A History of Violence', no matter how much David [Cronenberg] wanted me, had it not been for my newfound notoriety," so Mortensen added.
Based on J.R.R. Tolkien's best-selling novel, "The Hobbit" centers on Bilbo Baggins and Thorin Oakenshield, along with the twelve dwarves, who embark on an epic adventure to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim a lost treasure that was stolen by the dragon Smaug.
The fantasy epic will arrive in U.S. theaters on December 14, 2012, while its follow-up "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" will be released nationwide on December 13, 2013. In addition to Bloom and Blanchett who reprise their "LOTR" roles, the movie will see Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood returning as Gollum, Gandalf and Frodo respectively. Martin Freeman, meanwhile, is cast as Bilbo.
