Elijah Wood says returning as Frodo Baggins on the set of “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” felt as if no time had passed, his first public comments since filming wrapped. Playing the hobbit again after 27 years was “beautiful and surreal,” Wood told Deadline. He described putting on Frodo’s costume and the prosthetic hobbit feet and finding that his body remembered them. “Suddenly 27 years are gone and you’re back in it again,” he said. The sensation, he added, felt like stepping back in time.
Director Andy Serkis confirmed a day earlier that principal photography was complete. Wood shot his scenes earlier this year, and the film opens in theaters Dec. 17, 2027. Wood has repeatedly cautioned fans about the size of his part. He told GamesRadar+ earlier this year that his role is “relatively small,” though he said the project feels like a family reunion because so much of the original creative team has returned. Before production he called the project a “getting the band back together” moment with the people who made Peter Jackson’s trilogy. Geek commentary has compared the likely screen time to his brief cameo in “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”
The film is set 17 years after Bilbo Baggins’ birthday party and before Frodo leaves the Shire. Its main plot follows Aragorn, played by Jamie Dornan, who must capture Gollum before he can reveal the One Ring’s location to Sauron’s servants. Serkis again plays Gollum through motion capture. Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf, and the cast also includes Kate Winslet and Leo Woodall. Official set images released this fall showed what appeared to be Frodo entering Bag End, and they set off debate among fans about where the story fits in the timeline.
That debate reflects a divide among followers of the franchise. Some welcome a return to the Shire with familiar faces, and others question whether another prequel-style film can add to a story Jackson’s trilogy closed. Warner Bros. has not released a plot synopsis, and the studio has said little about how Frodo connects to the central hunt. Wood’s remarks give the clearest account yet of the shoot’s mood, if not its content. He did not describe scenes or reveal how the character figures in the plot.
