Aragorn becomes Alatriste

Viggo Mortensen is set to star in the Spanish language drama, Alatriste.

He’ll play Captain Alatriste, a soldier and mercenary embroiled in Spain’s imperial wars in the sixteenth century.

It looks like up-and-coming Spanish actress Elena Anaya will play Mortensen’s love interest and Mexican actor Gael García Bernal will play his trusted page and servant. The budget for the movie is $24m (€19.7m), which makes it the most expensive Spanish film ever made.

What’s unusual about the film is that it will be shot in Spanish. Mortensen speaks the language fluently, having lived in Argentina for years.

The Lord of The Rings star says he’s excited about the project because “Alatriste is a beloved character in Spain. But it’ll be hard work. I’ll have to learn how to speak the Spanish of the period.”

Filming will begin in January next year in Seville and Toledo.