Sir Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood to reunite in new Lord of the Rings film

Huge news for fans of the franchise!

The upcoming film, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, is directed by Andy Serkis and he will also reprise his iconic titular character.

Previously it was confirmed that Ian McKellen is also returning to play Gandalf, and now the actor himself has confirmed that Gandalf and Frodo Baggings will reunite in the new film.

The project, which is scheduled for a December 17, 2027 theatrical release, will begin filming in May of this year, McKellen also confirmed.

“It's going to start filming in May. It's going to be directed by Gollum, and it's all about Gollum”, McKellen said.

“But I'll tell you two secrets about the casting. There's a character in the movie called Frodo and another character called Gandalf, and apart from that, my lips are sealed”, he added.

McKellen does not say whether Elijah Wood will be the one to play Frodo, but Wood himself teased a potential Lord of the Rings return in 2024, where he revealed that he would be open to the possibility.

“It would be pretty incredible. I have to say, any return to New Zealand to work with those individuals within the context of that world would be…jumping back into a world that’s so beloved and means so much to me. So yeah, it would be awesome”, he stated.

The Hunt for Gollum's story takes place after the 111th birthday of Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) in The Fellowship of the Ring, but before Frodo leaves the Shire and begins the long journey that will eventually take him to Mordor.

Serkis will direct The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, but Peter Jackson is still involved as a producer, just as he was for the franchise's 2024 anime film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.