Elijah Wood Seems to Confirm Leo Woodall as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum

Apr 6

Elijah Wood may have just added fuel to one of the biggest casting conversations around The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. During a recent appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, the actor appeared to confirm speculation that Leo Woodall is stepping into the role of Aragorn for the upcoming film, even as Warner Bros. and New Line have not publicly announced that casting themselves.

The moment came when Horowitz referenced Woodall taking over the part made famous by Viggo Mortensen, prompting Wood to reply, “That is true,” before adding, “Those are tough boots, man.” It is a short exchange, but it immediately caught attention because it sounds much firmer than the rumor-stage phrasing fans had been working with up to now.

Photo Credit: ©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection

Why an Aragorn recast makes sense for this story

Even without a formal casting announcement, the broader setup makes the idea easy to understand. Andy Serkis has already confirmed that The Hunt for Gollum will recast Aragorn, with the story set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. That timeline points to a younger version of the character than the one Mortensen played in Peter Jackson’s trilogy, which is why this has increasingly felt like a handoff rather than a comeback.

Wood’s comments also suggest the film is being framed as something more specific than a full-scale attempt to recreate the original trilogy’s scope. On the same podcast, he described the project as a new story and spoke positively about the creative reasoning behind it, stressing that much of the original filmmaking brain trust is still involved. That includes Serkis directing and starring, with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens back in the mix as part of the larger creative team behind the film.

That is part of why this latest casting chatter feels so notable. Recasting Aragorn was always going to come with scrutiny, and Wood’s “tough boots” comment says a lot in very few words. If Leo Woodall is in fact the pick, the conversation now feels less centered on whether the role should be recast at all and more on what this new version of Aragorn could bring to Middle-earth.

The Hunt for Gollum is currently set to arrive on December 17, 2027.