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Why Did Viggo Mortensen Turn Down the Role of Aragorn in The Hobbit Film Trilogy?

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer and academic who was best known for his work on The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. His creation gave rise to a multi-billion dollar enterprise. The most recent movie series was directed by Peter Jackson and has made over 3 billion dollars in worldwide sales. With such success, you’d think any actor would want to join the production, but this isn’t the case with Viggo Mortensen, who originally played Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings series. He declined the role for The Hobbit film trilogy.

Viggo Mortensen, who originally played Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings series, was offered the same role in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit film trilogy. He declined the offer stating that Aragorn never appeared in Tolkein’s Hobbit.

Viggo Mortensen on Aragorn in The Hobbit

Who can forget Viggo Mortensen’s performance as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy? Unfortunately, the actor decided that he would not reprise his role as Aragorn for Peter Jackson’s series as his character wasn’t originally in JRR Tolkien’s book.

Before they started shooting, back in 2008, one of the producers did ask if I would be interested, I said, ‘You do know, don’t you, that Aragorn isn’t in The Hobbit? That there is a 60-year gap between the books? I’m interested in seeing that world again, and seeing what Peter Jackson’s done, how he’s made use of the improvements in special effects and cameras and the different way of shooting, which will probably enhance the visual aspect of the experience, the sound also. And I’m interested in seeing how he’s managed to make three movies out of a relatively slim volume. Jackson is a clever person – I’m sure he’ll have done something really interesting with it.

Viggo Mortensen to The Guardian

Mortensen has previously mentioned that he would love to play Aragorn again, given that it was the sensible thing to do while citing The Lord of the Rings appendices where Aragorn would make an appearance again. (Source: The Guardian)

How Well Did The Hobbit Series Do?

The Hobbit Trilogy did have mixed views. Fans have complained about its excessive length considering it was adapted from a single material. But despite this, the series has made a lot of money.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The first of the three films worked with an estimated budget of $180 million. The film earned $84 million in the United States and Canada alone on its opening weekend. It eventually earned $1 billion worldwide. (Source: IMDB)

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

With the first film’s massive success, production splurged a bit with the second film with an estimated budget of $250 million. Unfortunately, it did not do as well as the first film. The Battle of Five Armies earned $54 million on its opening weekend in the United States and Canada and grossed $962 million worldwide. (Source: IMDB)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The budget for the final installation of the trilogy was set at $225 million. They did rather well on their opening weekend with about $73 million but ended with only $959 million in gross sales worldwide compared to the second film. (Source: IMDB)

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