Elijah Wood "Surprised" By WB's New LORD OF THE RINGS Movies and Hopes They’re Made With "Reverence" For Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings trilogy star Elijah Wood recently shared his thoughts on the new Middle Earth films that Warner Bros. had announced. He explained in an interview with GQ magazine that he was “fascinated,” “excited,” and “surprised” by the news. But, he’s also worried that the studio is just making them to make a lot of money, which is obviously the case.
He said: “I’m fascinated and I’m excited. I hope it’s good/ I’m surprised—I don’t know why I’m surprised because, of course, there would be more movies.” He went on to talk about the whole money aspect of the thing, saying:
“Obviously at the core of that, is a desire to make a lot of money. It’s not that a bunch of executives are like, ‘Let’s make really awesome art.’ And, again, not begrudging anybody because, of course, it is commerce. But great art can come from commerce. So those two things are not mutually exclusive.”
Wood then stressed that Peter Jackson’s trilogy “didn’t come out of that place” of commerce, and he hopes that drives these new projects. He explained:
“It came out of a passion for these books and wanting to see them realized, and I hope that that is ultimately what will drive everything forward with whatever these subsequent movies are. I just hope that it’s the same motivating factor at its core, whenever they hire a screenwriter and a filmmaker—that it is with reverence for Tolkien’s material and enthusiasm to explore it.”
I’m excited about these new Middle Earth movies as well, but I do hope that whoever comes on board to develop them will bring the heart and soul of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work to the projects. Peter Jackson has been in talks with the studio and they want him involved. If that happens, I think fans will definitely be more confident in what these films end up being.
In a previously released statement about the new Lord of the Rings projects, Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens said: “Warner Brothers and Embracer have kept us in the loop every step of the way. We look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward. We look forward to speaking with [the studio] further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward.”
Are you excited about the future of the Middle Earth film franchise?