The Lord of the Rings fans are demanding what some might call the real-life return of the king. Many in The Lord of the Rings‘ online fan community want to see former The Witcher star Henry Cavill return to fantasy as Aragorn, son of Arathorn, in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum​​​​​.

The idea of Cavill playing the heir of Isildur in the upcoming The Lord of the Rings movie comes amid reports that Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn in the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy, will not return to reunite with co-stars Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen, and Elijah Wood in the film, which takes place during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring.

Cavill’s fans know that the actor, best known for his role as Superman in the DC Extended Universe, is capable of playing a gritty fantasy warrior due to his three seasons playing Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s adaptation of The Witcher video games. Cavill left The Witcher, reportedly over creative differences with its writers, and was replaced by Liam Hemsworth. A role in The Hunt for Gollum would be a triumphant return to the fantasy genre for the actor.

Cavill also has a reputation as a die-hard fan of fantasy and science fiction, so it’d come as no surprise to learn that he’s well-versed in Middle-earth lore. If we were to take on the role of Aragorn, it’d give him something exciting to do in front of the camera while he’s also developing Prime Video’s Warhammer 40,000 series.

It’s worth noting that reports of Mortensen being recast as Aragorn have not been confirmed by anyone involved with The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and Mortensen previously seemed open to returning to the role. However, there would be challenges.

It’s been 25 years since Mortensen debuted as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (though he wasn’t part of the recent cast reunion). For Mortensen to play Aragorn as he appeared 25 years ago would likely require persistent de-aging technology throughout the movie. While such efforts are not entirely uncommon in big-budget productions these days, it is still primarily used for flashbacks and other special cases, and likely isn’t cheap.

Also, given that The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum involved Aragorn helping Gandalf track down Gollum following his escape from Mordor, the film could be physically demanding for Mortensen, who is now 67-years-old. Cavill is 25 years younger than Mortensen, meaning he’s approximately the same age as Mortensen was when The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings opened in theaters, which is an interesting bit of synchronicity. However, Cavill is known for his large frame, meaning he’d cut quite a different figure from Mortensen’s as the relatively lithe and lean Strider of the first The Lord of the Rings film.

For now, this is all just fan talk. As noted, no one officially involved in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum has even acknowledged that Aragorn is being recast, let alone entertained the idea that Cavill could take over the role. In the meantime, The Lord of the Rings fans can enjoy Mortensen as Aragorn in theaters for one more week as the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy continues its anniversary run at the box office.