Elijah Wood says he hopes no other performer takes over the role of Frodo Baggins while he is still able to portray the character, as speculation continues around the upcoming film The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Wood addressed the ongoing discussion about casting in the new Middle-earth project. While the actor stopped short of confirming whether he will appear in the film, he made clear that the role remains personally significant.
“I certainly wouldn’t want anybody else to play Frodo as long as I’m alive and able,” Wood said.
The project is part of a renewed push by Warner Bros. to expand the cinematic world based on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. The studio first announced The Hunt for Gollum in 2024, with a release currently scheduled for Dec. 17, 2027.
The film will be directed by Andy Serkis, who portrayed Gollum through motion-capture performance beginning with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Serkis will once again perform the role in the new project.
Wood said he is enthusiastic about the possibility of returning to Middle-earth, though he emphasized that he cannot officially confirm involvement at this stage.
“I’m not able to officially say anything until it’s announced,” he said in the interview, while adding that the idea of another film involving many of the original creative collaborators is appealing.
The upcoming production reunites several figures responsible for the earlier adaptations of Tolkien’s work. Peter Jackson, who directed The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the later Hobbit films, is producing alongside longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.
Boyens previously described the story as focusing on a previously unexplored period in the narrative timeline. According to her explanation, the events occur after Bilbo Baggins’ birthday party, early in The Fellowship of the Ring, but before the Fellowship’s journey through the Mines of Moria.
The film will center on the search for Gollum during that interval, a storyline referenced in Tolkien’s work but never fully depicted onscreen.
Wood first portrayed Frodo in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, continuing the role in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The trilogy became one of the most successful fantasy franchises in film history, collectively earning multiple Academy Awards and helping define the cinematic interpretation of Tolkien’s world.
The actor acknowledged that new films set in Middle-earth often generate cautious reactions among fans who feel protective of the original trilogy. Wood said that reaction is understandable, but he remains curious to see how the new project develops.
“I’m also a fan,” he said, adding that audiences may find it exciting to revisit familiar characters and locations if the project maintains the tone and spirit of the earlier films.
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