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It has been 23 years since Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy concluded with Return of the King, but Elijah Wood says that returning to play Frodo Baggins in The Hunt for Gollum alongside other original cast members feels a lot like a family reunion, even if he doesn't have a central role this time around.
"I mean, it's sort of like getting the band back together a little bit with that film," says Wood to GamesRadar+. "A lot of the creative team who were part of Lord of the Rings are part of Hunt for Gollum. I'm just looking forward to seeing all those people again. It feels like a family reunion. My part to play is relatively small, but I'm just excited to go back and spend some time in New Zealand and see old friends."
Based on Tolkien's literary works, Wood brought Baggins to life in the first Lord of the Rings movie, The Fellowship of the Ring, in 2001. Three massive films follow Frodo's perilous journey to destroy the One Ring before Sauron gets his hands on it. However, The Hunt for Gollum will go back to where it all began, taking place 17 years after Frodo's uncle Bilbo's birthday party, and before Frodo's departure from the Shire.
Although the franchise does go over these events, explaining to the audience how Bilbo found the ring after the monster took his eye off of it, The Hunt for Gollum will focus on what happened after Gollum lost the One Ring, which drew him out of his cave in search of it. This prompts Gandalf to send Aragorn after him, setting in motion the hunt for Gollum. With this, it is understandable how Wood might only be in a handful of scenes, like his cameo in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Alongside Wood, Ian McKellen is returning as Gandalf, as well as Andy Serkis as Smeagol/Gollum. The Hobbit star Lee Pace is reprising his role as Thranduil. However, Strider has been recast and will be played by The Tourist star Jamie Dornan. Newcomers include Kate Winslet and Leo Woodall as new characters Marigol and Halvard. Serkis is directing from a script written by long-time Lord of the Rings collaborators Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh. Peter Jackson is on board as a producer.
However, before Wood returns to Middle-earth, he will suit up as another character who likes to wear green. The star voices an astronaut known as 'Green' in new animated TV show Among Us, which shadow-dropped on Paramount Plus on June 5. Based on the highly popular online multiplayer game of the same name, Among Us follows crewmates travelling through space who must complete their allocated tasks to keep the ship running. But amongst them are shapeshifting alien impostors picking the team off one by one.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum arrives in theaters on December 17, 2027. For more, check out our guide on how to watch all the Lord of the Rings movies in order, and keep up with upcoming movies heading your way.
