Elijah Wood is back as Frodo in the hunt for Gollum, and the first-look set photos make that plain. One image places him around Hobbiton in the New Zealand production. The catch is the one that matters to viewers tracking the film’s balance: Frodo’s part is described as relatively small.
Hobbiton in New Zealand
Warner Bros. released the new behind-the-scenes images from New Zealand, giving the film its first public look at Wood in the role he made famous more than 20 years ago in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Daniel Richtman responded to the images with a blunt read of the update: “Too bad his role is small.”
The timing also fits the film’s placement in Middle-earth. Philippa Boyens has said the story sits after Bilbo's birthday party and before the Fellowship reaches the Mines of Moria, which leaves room for Frodo to appear without taking over the narrative. That structure keeps the prequel connected to the older films while keeping its center of gravity on the search itself.
Andy Serkis Leads the Search
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum follows Gandalf and Aragorn as they search for Gollum, with Andy Serkis directing and returning as Gollum. Jamie Dornan plays Aragorn, Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf, and Lee Pace reprises Thranduil, while new cast members include Anya Taylor-Joy, Kate Winslet, and Leo Woodall.
Philippa Boyens has called it an “intense story” told through Gollum's perspective, which explains why a familiar face like Frodo can show up without becoming the engine of the film. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Boyens are producing, and the team officially started production in July 2026.
December 17, 2027
December 17, 2027 is the date that matters for anyone watching the project’s rollout. The photos do what first-look material is supposed to do: they lock in a return, set expectations about scale, and tell viewers this is a connection to the earlier films rather than a full-scale reunion built around Frodo.
Wood’s “relatively small” part should temper any assumption that the prequel will lean on nostalgia for long stretches. The better read is simpler: the film is using Frodo as a bridge, not a main character, and that makes the new images more revealing than they look at first glance.
