Frodo’s Return in THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE HUNT FOR GULLOM Raises Timeline Questions
Warner Bros. is officially heading back to Middle-earth with The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, and the project is already stirring up excitement and curiosity among fans. Andy Serkis is stepping behind the camera to direct, with the film currently slated for release on December 17, 2027.
The story unfolds during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, centering on Gandalf and Aragorn’s efforts to track down Gollum.
We’ve known for a while that Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen are wanted to return as Gandalf and Aragorn, but McKellen recently revealed something surprising… Frodo will also appear in the film. That raises a big question, because Frodo isn’t really part of this story at all.
If Elijah Wood does reprise his role, it would be hard to see anyone else as Frodo. Still, his presence doesn’t immediately fit the narrative. Producer and co-writer Philippa Boyens explained that the story takes place between Bilbo’s birthday party and the Fellowship’s discovery of Gollum at the Mines of Moria. That’s a period where Frodo is, for the most part, still in the Shire.
The easiest way to explain his inclusion would be as a framing device, similar to how Wood appeared in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. A short exchange with Gandalf before or after the wizard’s hunt for Gollum would give audiences context without changing Frodo’s established role in the original trilogy.
Frodo’s return also brings up the long-standing timeline debate between Tolkien’s books and Peter Jackson’s movies. In the novels, there are 17 years between Bilbo’s birthday party and Gandalf’s return to the Shire with news of the Ring. On screen, it feels like only a few months have passed, since none of the hobbits visibly age.
That discrepancy is now front and center. If The Hunt for Gollum sticks with the book’s 17-year gap, it risks creating a sense of missing years in The Fellowship of the Ring that were never acknowledged. But if it stays true to the films’ compressed timeline, then it has to account for Gandalf and Aragorn tracking Gollum across Middle-earth in just a short span of time.
Bringing Gandalf, Aragorn, and Frodo back makes sense from a legacy standpoint, but it also risks tinkering with films that are considered untouchable by many fans. Prequels and “story inserts” often flirt with retcons and continuity issues, and that’s exactly the challenge The Hunt for Gollum faces.
Still, with Boyens involved, Peter Jackson producing, and Serkis directing, there’s reason to believe the film will strike the right balance. If handled carefully, Frodo’s role could add a layer of emotional resonance without disrupting the story we already know.
Middle-earth is returning to theaters in 2027, and it’ll be interesting to see how the creative team handles all of this in the story.