Frodo’s return in The Hunt for Gollum clarifies Fellowship timeline

Movieweb reports that pre-production is underway for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, due in theaters on December 17, 2027; Andy Serkis directs and returns as Gollum, with Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood reprising Gandalf and Frodo. The film is set between Bilbo Baggins' 111th birthday party and Frodo leaving the Shire, and Frodo's inclusion could resolve a timeline deviation from Tolkien's book: Tolkien records a 17-year span from Bilbo's party to Frodo's departure, while the hunt itself is said to take eight years.

The source material describes Aragorn and Gandalf hunting Sméagol, Sauron capturing and torturing him, Sauron learning the Ring's whereabouts through Gollum, Gollum's release from Mordor, and Aragorn eventually seizing him and taking him to Mirkwood. The screenplay is credited to Philippa Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, Fran Walsh and Arty Papageorgiou; Viggo Mortensen will not reprise Aragorn and casting for a younger actor is underway.

In 2024 Mortensen said of a possible return: "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." Wood's presence is said to give a clearer sense of how the hunt fits into the first film's timeline: Frodo is in the Shire during the hunt and could appear at the end of the movie because Gandalf does not tell him to leave until after Aragorn captures Gollum.

Key Topics

Culture, Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood, Ian Mckellen, Viggo Mortensen, J.r.r. Tolkien