Lord of the Rings Star Elijah Wood Praises Hunt for Gollum Movie Script and Says the Franchise’s ‘Creative Band’ is Back Together

The Lord of the Rings spin-off The Hunt for Gollum has a great script and production team behind it, Middle-earth movie star Elijah Wood has reassured fans, seemingly hinting at his own involvement.

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While some have debated the need for a Smeagol spin-off, especially after mixed reactions to The Hobbit movie trilogy, Wood has piled praise on plans for The Hunt for Gollum — while still stopping short of fully confirming he is part of the cast.

Speaking at DesertCon (thanks, The Direct), Wood said he had been kept closely informed on the movie, which will reunite The Lord of the Rings director and scriptwriters Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens with Gollum actor Andy Serkis, who is set to both star in and direct the film.

“I know a great deal about it,” Wood said. “I’ve read it [the script]. It’s really good. There are some wonderful people involved. The thing that is so exciting is that it is really getting the creative band back together.

“The brain trust behind Lord of the Rings, Fran, Peter, Philippa, they are heavily involved,” he continued. “And then, the same production designers. It is going to be shot in New Zealand. So, it is going to carry with it such continuity with so many people who are a part of Lord of the Rings, and I am really excited about that. It feels like getting that old machine up and running again with all of the right people.”

Wood is yet to formally state that he is reprising his role as Frodo Baggins for the movie, though his involvement is now widely expected following the recent surprise confirmation from Gandalf actor Sir Ian McKellen that the characters of Gandalf and Frodo both appear in the film.

The Hunt for Gollum is set to chronicle a period between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings where numerous characters are searching for the all-important Ring, previously known to be in Gollum’s possession.

Gandalf is known to be searching for clues as to Gollum’s whereabouts, and even enlists the help of fellow Fellowship member Aragorn. Both are attempting to beat the agents of Sauron to discovering the Ring’s location — something glimpsed briefly in Fellowship of the Ring, where the words “Baggins” and “Shire” are extracted from Gollum via torture in Mordor.

It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Sir Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood as Gandalf and Frodo (and indeed, McKellen has said he doesn’t like the idea of anyone else in his role), particuarly as both actors appear well-informed about the project’s progress. That said, it has now been more than 20 years since audiences first saw both characters sail off from the Grey Havens at the end of Return of the King. With Hunt for Gollum set several years prior to this, it remains to be seen whether some form of digital de-aging will be used. Indeed, Legolas actor Orlando Bloom has previously expressed interest in also returning, though suggested “AI would have to come into play.”

To date, only Serkis himself has confirmed he will appear in the film, though Aragorn actor Viggo Mortensen has said he is also open to returning. The Hunt for Gollum is due to begin filming in New Zealand next year, ahead of its release on December 17, 2027.

Image credit: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social