Elijah Wood Teases a Bigger Future for THE LORD OF THE RINGS Franchise After THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM
Elijah Wood is once again stirring excitement in Middle-earth, teasing that The Lord of the Rings cinematic universe may be far from finished. While attention is currently focused on The Hunt for Gollum, Wood revealed that there’s real interest in expanding the franchise even further once that film arrives.
The upcoming movie is set before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring and draws from the lore of J. R. R. Tolkien. If it sticks close to the source material, the story will center on Gandalf and Aragorn as they race to find Gollum after Bilbo passes the One Ring to Frodo.
Ian McKellen has already said that both Gandalf and Frodo will be part of the film in some form. Asked directly about his own involvement during a Fan Expo New Orleans panel moderated by ScreenRant, Wood played things close to the vest.
"I can neither confirm nor deny. Listen, a wizard is to be trusted," Wood said. "Aside from any of that, I'm not really allowed to confirm. I'm really excited about the film. I think it really is a creative 'getting the band back together.'
“A lot of the creative heads of department are back and in that space again. Philippa [Boyens] I think, is co-writing it and producing it. It's very much that core original group getting back together to tell this story that will feel like a really fun exploration of this character that we all love so much. And I'm just really excited.
"I'm excited for Andy [Serkis] to direct it," he continued. "It feels so unbelievably appropriate that he directs a film about his character that he has really made his own. I'm thrilled. It'll be great. And I'm excited to see... I know their intention is to make other films in this universe. And that's exciting, interesting to see where that goes, but very exciting."
So, it’s more confirmation that The Hunt for Gollum isn’t meant to be a one-off return to Middle-earth. If audiences respond, it sounds like Warner Bros. and the creative team are ready to keep exploring corners of Tolkien’s universe that haven’t yet made it to the big screen.
At the moment, no additional films have been officially announced. On the TV side, The Rings of Power Season 3 is in development, though that series exists completely separate from the films and takes place thousands of years earlier during the Second Age.
For now, all eyes are on The Hunt for Gollum, which is set to hit theaters on December 17, 2027.