The unexpected next chapter in The Lord of the Rings saga has had a teasing update from star Elijah Wood, one that could suggest The Hunt for Gollum could be about to become the franchise expansion everyone hoped it would be in one particular way. While no one expected that a new Lord of the Rings movie would be made following Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy, The Hunt for Gollum has very quickly gained momentum since it was announced as it heads towards its current December 2027 release date. According to Wood’s latest comments, there could be plenty of familiar faces coming along for the ride.
It is more than 20 years since Peter Jackson did the unthinkable and filmed the entire Lord of the Rings story in one of the riskiest and most ambitious movie projects ever. While the faith in Jackson paid off immensely, his return to Middle Earth with The Hobbit was a more muted affair. Now, Jackson is once again heading back into the world of elves and hobbits, but this time as an executive producer, with Andy Serkis stepping into the director’s chair.
While appearing at Mexico’s DesertCon, Wood was asked about The Hunt for Gollum, and explained that while he could say too much, he knows how much the film is like “getting the creative band back together.” He said:
“Well, I can’t say anything about that. I know a great deal about it. I’ve read it. 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. 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.”
What Does This Mean for ‘The Hunt for Gollum’?
While there are many ways to interpret Wood’s comments, and he does not specifically mention there being a host of cameo appearances coming in the movie, the interesting part is his mention of “continuity.”
Having already brought back Wood as Frodo Baggins, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, and Serkis expected to reprise his vocal role as Gollum, it seems unlikely that the rest of the cast will be made up of new actors in some of the biggest roles from the original trilogy. With Wood specifically noting that the film will have continuity with the previous movies, this could mean we see the likes of Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom and several more actors appearing in the film in some way.
While none of this is a given until there is any kind of official casting announcement, which is expected to come soon with the movie being set for release in just over a year, Mortensen, who played Aragorn in the original trilogy, has made it clear that if he is able to reprise his role in the movie, then he would certainly consider it. He previously said:
“Sure. I don’t know exactly what the story is, I haven’t heard. Maybe I’ll hear about it eventually. I like playing that character. I learned a lot playing the character. I enjoyed it a lot. I would only do it if I was right for it in terms of, you know, the age I am now and so forth. I would only do it if I was right for the character. It would be silly to do it otherwise.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is currently set to be released on December 17, 2027.