Hunt for Gollum Movie Poised to Ask ‘What Does Frodo Do When He’s Happy?’

“I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.”

When most people refer to that line, spoken by Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, they quote it to set up Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey’s thoughtful, resonate answer: “So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

But the upcoming prequel film The Hunt For Gollum apparently will find new meaning and storytelling possibilities within that line. A prequel movie directed by and starring Andy Serkis, The Hunt for Gollum will take place during a gap in the events of Fellowship of the Ring, specifically the apparent years(!) that exist between Bilbo Baggins’ 111th birthday party in the Shire (the extended opening of Fellowship) and the day that Gandalf returns to warn Frodo that the minions of Mordor are coming! In other words it’s set during the estimated 17 years where Frodo was just… hanging out and not worried about how his uncle’s ring had come to him.

Given both Serikis and Peter Jackson‘s involvement, the latter of whom comes on as producer, it makes sense that Gandalf would be involved in the story. So no one was surprised to learn that McKellen had signed on to the film. What is surprising, however, is the tidbit the ever-cheeky McKellen teased (via Entertainment Weekly) about his casting: “I’ll tell you two secrets about the casting: There’s a character in the movie called Frodo, and there’s a character in the movie called Gandalf.”

As much as we like to see Wood back in the hobbit feet, the inclusion doesn’t make entirely clear sense because of the sentiment expressed in the famous Frodo line above. Before he and his fellow Hobbits were called upon to return the One Ring to Mordor, they had a relatively idyllic life. Throughout the trilogy though, we track the weight placed upon Frodo as he completes his mission, the loss of his innocence is treated as a part of his heroic sacrifice. That sacrifice only works if we understand Frodo’s life to be happy and dull before forming the Fellowship.

So what the heck is Frodo going to be doing in The Hunt for Gollum? Are we going to just watch him lazing about in some idyll? Will we spend time with him as he mows the lawn or tends to the shrubberies? We know that on the night Gandalf returns, he still enjoys a good pint down at the tavern with Sam and his lovelorn eyes for Rosie. Perhaps we’ll get to see some foundational moments that made Frodo into the character we know and love. Maybe we’ll see Frodo introducing young Samwise to potatoes, thus earning his undying loyalty?

It’s hard to believe that The Hunt for Gollum would waste screen time on something so boring. But one wants to trust that Serkis and Jackson have enough care and respect for the characters that they’ll be careful not to undermine the pathos of the previous films. So maybe we’ll see a more complicated Frodo, someone who longs to follow in his Uncle Bilbo’s adventurous footsteps, unaware of how much the journey will cost him.

Honestly, it’s hard to say for sure how the movie plans to handle the story, as we haven’t actually heard confirmation that Wood has joined the cast. We’ll just have to let Serkis and Jackson keep their secrets, and we’ll keep making ridiculous speculations.

The Hunt for Gollum is slated for a 2027 release.