Last year, we got word that two new Lord of the Rings movies were in the works. The first film, The Hunt for Gollum, is being directed by Gollum himself, Andy Serkis. It’s scheduled to be released in theaters in December 2027. Not much is known about the plot, but it’s speculated to be about Strider/Aragorn’s search for Gollum’s whereabouts during the time period in between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. If you’ve seen the movies, this is basically the part in the Fellowship of the Ring when we get the flashback to Gollum being tortured and crying out, ”Shire! Baggins!” Back in October, we got confirmation that Sir Ian McKellen would be back as Gandalf. Over the weekend, McKellen let it slip that we’ll also see Elijah Wood back as Frodo.
Ian McKellen is letting the “Lord of the Rings” secrets slip. The actor, 86, gave a major update about the next “Lord of the Rings” film, “The Hunt for Gollum,” during an appearance at the For the Love of Fantasy convention in London on Sunday, Aug. 17. According to McKellen, his character, Gandalf, and Frodo Baggins, the character played by Elijah Wood in prior “Lord of the Rings” films, will both be in the new movie.
“I’ll tell you two secrets about the casting: There’s a character in the movie called Frodo, and there’s another character called Gandalf,” he said, according to a video of the appearance shared on X. “Apart from that, my lips are sealed.”
McKellen also said the movie will begin shooting in May. USA TODAY has reached out to Warner Bros. Pictures for comment.
Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the previous “Lord of the Rings” movies, is set to direct “The Hunt for Gollum,” with the franchise’s longtime director Peter Jackson returning as a producer. This will be the first new live-action “Lord of the Rings” film since 2014’s “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” as well as the first not to be directed by Jackson.
It was not immediately clear how Frodo would be involved in “The Hunt for Gollum,” but Wood has previously expressed interest in returning.
“It would be pretty incredible,” he told JoBlo in August 2024. “I have to say, any return to New Zealand to work with those individuals within the context of that world would be … jumping back into a world that’s so beloved and means so much to me. So yeah, it would be awesome.”
When we first got the news of another LOTR prequel, I fully expected Gandalf and Aragorn to be back as main characters. The subject matter dictated it. I predicted that we’d see Frodo, Sam, and the rest of the hobbits back in cameos, and I stick by that theory. I am happy to learn that at the very least, we’ll get more Frodo. Wood made an excellent Frodo, and having seen him in person at Comic-Con last month (I crossed paths with him in my hotel; he was alone without any security), I can confirm that he basically looks the exact same as he has for decades. Tolkien left so much lure that I’m sure there are plenty of ways to fit Frodo into the story. I’m a huge fan of the books and original trilogy of movies that I can’t help but be a little bit excited to see more LOTR in theaters. (I’m also a fan of Prime’s unrelated series, The Rings of Power.) I only hope that they do it justice, and that it doesn’t end up becoming bloated like The Hobbit movies did, which didn’t need to be made into three separate movies. For now, I will be cautiously optimistic.
Photos credit: Lee Floyd/Avalon, Dennis Van Tine/Avalon, Robin Platzer/Twin Images/LFI/Avalon, Getty
I just love Ian McKellen so this is exciting news.
I’m also cautiously optimistic.
Please please please have Viggo Mortensen back as Strider/Aragorn.
If we can have minimal Gollum I might be on board.
The other caveat is that they stay well away from how they created the monstrosity that is the Hobbit films. LOTR was amazing and I loved how they condensed three big books into three great films. Taking one short book and making three too-long films was dreadful. Yes there’s lore here but we don’t have a detailed story for this so it could go either way.
December 27!!! What a long time ….
I rewatch the original LOTR movies every year and weep everytime. They were a fundamental part of my adolescence and they say something fundamentally good about humanity. But those movies were made with love and care. I have never been able to get through the Hobbit movies or that dumb Amazon show because they were made for money and nothing else. I don’t trust these new stories but I’m willing to give them a try because… I still believe there is some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And its worth fighting for.
Excited!! Given the lore/timeline, it feels unlikely that Frodo will have a significant role, he’s only going to be very young during this time so maybe only a brief cameo would make sense? I hate all the attempts at de-aging that people seem to try, it never looks good so I’d prefer if they just recast any characters we know. It’s difficult though because the existing LOTR films and cast are perfect. I’m glad Ian is potentially back as Gandalf, but he looks and sounds significantly older than he did in the original films (24 years since FOTR came out, wtf) and I wonder if it will be too challenging for him now.