The Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen has said blockbuster Hollywood franchises are "not usually that good" and "kind of predictable." Speaking to Vanity Fair , Mortensen commented on why he hasn't returned to a major franchise after his role as Aragorn in the beloved The Lord of the Rings trilogy from the early 2000s. He made clear he's not against the idea but just prioritises interesting stories over particular budgets or directors.
"I don’t really look for or avoid any kind of genre or any size budget; I just look for interesting stories," he said. "It doesn’t matter to me what the genre is or what the budget is or who’s making them. I would never do a movie just because so-and-so is directing it.
It has to be about the story, and if I think I’m right for the character. That always comes first." Mortensen continued: "That goes for franchises.
If somebody came to me with X movie, the third part or the ninth part, and I thought it was a great character and I wanted to play that character and I thought I had something to contribute, I’d do it. I’m not against it. But they’re not usually that good.
I mean, to me, they’re not usually that well written. They’re kind of predictable. I mean, of course there’s always the issue of if I run out of money.
" The Lord of the Rings trilogy arguably came before franchises fully took over Hollywood, which perhaps began when Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008. Many are now looking for a simila.
