The three Lord of the Rings films made Viggo Mortensen world famous as the fierce ranger and King Aragorn. The returned king fought his way through Middle Earth alongside the companions of Rohan and Gondor. Over 20 years later, his iconic sword is being used again, but in an unexpected place: in his new western. Of course, he had previously obtained permission from Peter Jackson.
Lord of the Rings in the Wild West? Aragorn’s sword makes an astonishing comeback
The Dead Don’t Hurt is Viggo Mortensen’s second directorial work (after Falling). In it, he plays the Danish immigrant Holger Olsen during the American Civil War, who is separated from his wife Vivienne (Vicky Krieps) and gets into trouble at the hands of a powerful rancher (Garret Dillahunt). The trailer for The Dead Don’t Hurt promised a visually stunning western adventure that doesn’t follow in the footsteps of a classic gunslinger. But is he so unclassic that he even carries a Lord of the Rings sword?
Watch the western trailer for The Dead Don’t Hurt here
The Dead Don’t Hurt – Trailer (English) HD
In a recent conversation with British GQ, Viggo Mortensen did not rule out his return to the new Gollum film and at the same time made a startling revelation: Aragorn’s iconic weapon will make an appearance in his new western. in one Fantasy sequence with knight and horse for use:
We needed a sword […] and I thought I could use the sword I already had because it is really good. But I knew that I had to ask for permissionbecause someone would surely notice it, even if they only saw it for a few seconds.
Mortensen contacted his Lord of the Rings director:
So I asked Peter Jackson if that was okay with him and he said: ‘Is it important to the story?’ I said, ‘Not really, it’s barely noticeable.’ He said it was fine with him, but I should ask the film company. So I contacted them and they agreed. They understood that the sword was not an essential part of my film and therefore would not draw much attention. […] We did it because it just seemed right. It was kind of a last-minute accident.The Dead Don’t Hurt: When is the western from the Lord of the Rings star starting?
The Dead Don’t Hurt is coming 8 August 2024 in German cinemas. Then you can see for yourself how prominent the reappearance of Aragorn’s sword Andúriel (formerly Narsil) really is in the western.