Original Lord of the Rings Star All but Confirms Return in New Movie (& Their Reason Why Is Perfect)

The Lord of the Rings franchise is coming back to the big screen, and some familiar faces are returning with it. It’s been over a decade since the last live-action Middle-earth movie, with the saga seemingly coming to an end with The Hobbit trilogy. Since then, we’ve seen it move to TV for Prime Video’s The Rings of Power, and then mark another big-screen outing with the animated War of the Rohirrim, but now it’s going back to where it all began with The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

The prequel, which will be directed by Andy Serkis, details the time period during The Fellowship of the Ring where Aragorn and Gandalf were searching for Gollum, who was also being hunted by the forces of Sauron. Serkis is also set to star as Gollum, while it is widely expected, if not officially confirmed, that Ian McKellen will reprise his role as Gandalf. One actor who may not be back is Viggo Mortensen, with ongoing rumors that Aragorn will be recast (Leo Woodall is the current name in the frame to take over), but what about Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins? Speaking with The Times UK, the actor stopped short of confirming his return, but basically did everything but that, saying:

“It hasn’t been officially announced, but at a convention last August, Ian sort of let the cat out of the bag. So there is a good chance. I’m not able to officially say anything until it’s announced, but I will say I’m thrilled with the prospect of another film. It’s always a little nerve-racking when people talk about new movies for a world like Middle-earth. Everyone gets a little protective and hopes it retains its level of integrity, but this story is fun, thrilling. There is a genuine feeling of getting the band back together. I’m just excited.”

While Wood doesn’t outright say he’s in the movie, he… pretty much does say he’s in the movie, because those comments don’t really make sense otherwise. The actor continued discussing his potential return, and the main reason why he’d want to come back, when asked about the fact that McKellen wishes to return because he didn’t want anyone else playing the part:

“I totally get that. I certainly wouldn’t want anybody else to play Frodo either as long as I’m alive and able. And I can also recognize what fun that is going to be — when you are in the cinema and you see the hat turn around and it’s Gandalf. Because I’m also a fan, and excited to see how it all comes together.”

What Elijah Wood’s Frodo Return Means For The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum

It can likely be taken as a given that Wood is back, so what will be more interesting to learn is just how big a role Frodo has to play in things. He doesn’t really fit into the major narrative since, well, he’s not going to be out hunting for Gollum along with Aragorn, and will presumably have to be confined to the Shire for any appearances to avoid breaking canon completely.

The most logical course of action is that Wood would only have a cameo, appearing at Bag End as a bookend to the story. This could give it a clear framing device for where it fits in the timeline, and allow Frodo to be loosely involved in the story without impacting the character too much.

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This would also allow him to interact with Gandalf, which would make sense with the comments the pair of them have made, since it suggests they’d be directly working together again. It’s also possible the movie could keep cutting back to the Shire if it wanted Frodo to have a bigger role, though what he’d be doing becomes harder to predict in that case.

Having Wood back as Frodo also fits with what this movie is aiming for. It’s very much shaping up like a case of bringing out the old guard in order to save the franchise: as well as the actors, the main creatives behind the original trilogy, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens, are all involved as producers here. It’s also going back to the most familiar timeline, making a clear play for nostalgia and trying to really win audiences back after War of the Rohirrim bombed. Whether it works or not is another matter, but having Wood onboard probably doesn’t hurt its chances.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled to hit theaters on December 17th, 2027.

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