Lord of the Rings: Elijah Wood Promises “a Really Creative” Reunion Story

Set in the pre-historical world of Middle-earth, J. R. R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is about things that are old. But as anyone who has seen any of the Avengers: Doomsday teasers can tell you, everything old is new again. So not only is the newest Lord of the Rings movie The Hunt for Gollum once again taking place in Middle-earth, but it’s bringing back cast members from the classic movies from the 2000s.

Obviously, Andy Serkis is returning to play Gollum and to direct the film, and we’ve long known that Ian McKellen will be back as Gandalf the Grey. McKellen has also stated that Elijah Wood would be reprising his role as Frodo Baggins, and while Wood wouldn’t confirm that rumor for Screen Rant (“Listen, a wizard is to be trusted,” he quipped), he did assure viewers that he was excited about the story. “I think it really is a creative ‘getting the band back together.’ A lot of the creative heads of department are back and in that space again,” he declared.

Wood’s word choice stands out here. It makes perfect sense that Wood would be excited about the opportunity to reprise his most famous character, and that he would get to do it alongside Serkis and McKellen, both fine artists. But Wood didn’t just say that he’s excited. He said that he considers The Hunt for Gollum “creative,” and that’s hard to believe.

Set between The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring, The Hunt for Gollum follows Aragorn, who has been tasked by Gandalf to find Gollum and discover what the one-time Hobbit knows about the One Ring before he can give it to the Dark Lord Sauron. Of course, anyone who has read Lord of the Rings or has seen the movies knows the information that Gollum has and how it relates to Sauron, which makes the entire story devoid of stakes.

But then again, The Hunt for Gollum probably doesn’t exist to tell a gripping story filled with high stakes. Rather, it probably exists to pump more from an existing IP and is bringing back familiar faces to do it. In that way, the movie is very much in line with most blockbuster franchises of our day. In fact, McKellen is also donning his Magneto duds from the X-Men movies for Avengers: Doomsday, a film that seems mostly about bringing back old favorites.

Beyond those examples, there are all the legacy sequels and retreads, an approach that has lead to everything from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Jurassic World: Dominion to Happy Gilmore 2 and Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.

According to Wood, there is one thing that sets The Hunt for Gollum apart from those movies, and that’s the talent involved. “It’s very much that core original group getting back together to tell this story that will feel like a really fun exploration of this character that we all love so much,” he said, referring specifically to Philippa Boyens, writer on the original trilogy who has a co-screenwriting credit here with Phoebe Gittins, Arty Papageorgiou, and Fran Walsh.

Will that be enough to make The Hunt for Gollum something unique? Or will it just be another example of actors coming back to do something they’ve done before, certain that it will bring a good paycheck? We can’t say for sure yet, but Wood did assure readers that he’s “really excited” about the project, and that’s something that never gets old.

Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is slated for release on December 17, 2027.