The “Lord of the Rings” alum’s comments come amid speculation that he will appear in 2027’s “The Hunt for Gollum.”

Elijah Wood doesn’t want anybody else to play his LOTR character as long as he’s ‘alive and able’

The "Lord of the Rings" alum's comments come amid speculation that he will appear in 2027's "The Hunt for Gollum."

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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March 8, 2026 6:29 p.m. ET

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Elijah Wood in 'Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' (2002). Credit:

If the Fellowship of the Ring makes good on their 23-year reunion, Frodo might look a little different — but rest assured, he will still be played by Elijah Wood.

The* **Lord of the Rings** *alum is still playing coy about what's to come from our return to Middle-earth, courtesy of Andy Serkis' *The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.* But there's one thing he won't deny: that nobody else will be filling his hobbit-sized shoes anytime soon.

"It hasn’t been officially announced, but at a convention last August, Ian sort of let the cat out of the bag. So there is a good chance," Wood recently told the U.K.'s *Sunday Times* when asked if he will reprise his role in the upcoming film. "I’m not able to officially say anything until it’s announced, but I will say I’m thrilled with the prospect of another film. It’s always a little nerve-racking when people talk about new movies for a world like Middle-earth. Everyone gets a little protective and hopes it retains its level of integrity, but this story is fun, thrilling. There is a genuine feeling of getting the band back together."

Though he declined to confirm whether he would be back in the Shire as heroic hobbit Frodo Baggins, he did offer a response to McKellen stating that he wouldn't want anyone playing Gandalf while he's still alive to do it himself.

Elijah Wood in September 2025 in Los Angeles.

Michael Tullberg/Getty

"I totally get that. I certainly wouldn’t want anybody else to play Frodo either as long as I’m alive and able," Wood said. "And I can also recognize what fun that is going to be — when you are in the cinema, and you see the hat turn around, and it’s Gandalf. Because I’m also a fan, and excited to see how it all comes together.”

Two years ago, original *LOTR *helmer Peter Jackson announced he was producing a new live-action installment in *The Lord of the Rings *franchise with Serkis, who also plays Gollum, set to direct and star. Originally slated for a 2026 release, the film is now expected to premiere in December 2027.

While most of the franchise's former stars have done their best to remain tight-lipped, in August 2025, McKellen couldn't help but drop a bombshell bit of casting news on the unsuspecting crowd at a London fan event for the convention For the Love of Fantasy.

"I'll tell you two secrets about the casting," he said of the upcoming movie. "There's a character in the movie called Frodo, and there's a character in the movie called Gandalf."

When the crowd gasped in excitement, he joked, "Apart from that, my lips are sealed!"

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McKellen did not specify whether he and Wood would be reprising their roles, but their recent comments have only fueled the hopes of nostalgic fans. And it helps that Wood was present at the fan event offering a conspiratorial smile as McKellen spoke.

As for the rest of the fellowship, Orlando Bloom last year stated that he would happily answer the call to don his blonde wig as Sindar elf prince Legolas.

Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, and Orlando Bloom in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' (2001).

New Line Cinema

"Listen, I'd hate to see anyone else play Legolas, you know what I mean?" he said during an September 2025 visit to *Today*. "What are they going to do? Are they going to put somebody else in as Legolas?"

He also insisted that he hadn't yet "heard a peep" on the matter, but added, "I know it's focusing on Gollum, so anything's possible. And I went back for *The Hobbit.*"

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His *Fellowship of the Ring* costar Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn, said in 2024 that he would only be open to reprising his role as the King of Gondor under the right circumstances.

"I don't know exactly what the story is. I haven't heard. Maybe I'll hear about it eventually," Mortensen told *GQ* at the time. "I like playing that character. I learned a lot playing the character. 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."

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