Summary

• Frodo's iconic role in The Lord of the Rings trilogy may lead to a cameo in the movie focusing on Gollum's story.
• Elijah Wood's ageless appearance makes it easy for him to reprise his role as Frodo without the need for de-aging technology.
• The interconnected stories of Frodo and Gollum make a thematic Frodo cameo in the new movie a likely and relevant choice.

Peter Jackson's Elijah Wood leading the Fellowship's mission as Frodo Baggins, and now Wood's character has a chance to return to the big screen. Released in 2001, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring introduced Wood's halfling protagonist, who would go on to do great things in the next two movies. Over the course of the trilogy, Wood's Frodo became iconic, so his chance to return in a new Lord of the Rings movie is welcome.

The ending of The Fellowship of the Ring led perfectly into Jackson's 2002 sequel, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, developing the extensive cast that included Andy Serkis as Gollum. Gollum's critical role in the story was made abundantly clear in the final movie, 2003's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. As such, it feels appropriate that Serkis' Gollum will be the focus of the next Lord of the Rings movie, which is using The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum as its working title. However, while Gollum's involvement is inevitable, a Frodo cameo also seems likely.

Frodo Will Likely Have The One Ring In Andy Serkis' Lord Of The Rings Movie

The New Movie Timeline Includes Frodo

The new Hunt for Gollum movie, helmed by Serkis, refers in its title to Gandalf and Aragorn's hunt for Gollum, which took place in Frodo's lifetime. As such, Frodo's appearance in the movie is technically possible. While the plot for the movie has not been confirmed by Serkis, it seems most likely that it will cover the hunt for Gollum described in the appendices to The Lord of the Rings. The first hint of this hunt comes in the year 3001 of the Third Age, which is also when Frodo inherited the Ring at Bilbo's farewell feast.

The Hunt for Gollum won't entail Andy Serkis' first directorial role; he also directed Breathe in 2017, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle in 2018, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage in 2021.

This hint is that Gandalf started seriously suspecting Bilbo's ring to be the One Ring in 3001, leading him to double the guard on the Shire and call on the help of Aragorn to seek news of Gollum. This seems to be the start of Gandalf and Aragorn's adventures seeking Gollum. The end may be in August 3018, when the appendices state that all trace of Gollum was lost. Frodo left Bag End the month after. Frodo was a ringbearer and was often visited by Gandalf between 3001 and 3018, so he could appear in the movie.

A Frodo Cameo Would Be Thematically Relevant For Gollum's Story

Frodo And Gollum's Stories Are Interlinked

A cameo from Elijah Wood as Frodo would make sense for Serkis' film about Gollum, as Frodo and Gollum's stories are inextricably linked. Serkis told Deadline that the movie will take a deep dive into Gollum's psychology, exploring his backstory. Frodo was Gollum's master during Peter Jackson's trilogy and taught him that kindness was possible. At the same time, Gollum hated Frodo for keeping the Ring from him. Frodo has always allowed The Lord of the Rings movies to explore Gollum's duality and conflict, so a cameo in the movie would fit right in.

Although Frodo and Gollum didn't meet during the hunt for Gollum described in the appendices to The Lord of the Rings, Frodo's appearance in the movie could come during one of Gandalf's visits to the Shire. Gandalf and Frodo moments in the Shire would provide a magical throwback to former movies. When asked by JoBlo about returning in the movie, Wood himself said that "jumping back into a world that’s so beloved and means so much to me... would be awesome." Frodo's relevance to the story and Wood's enthusiasm build the case for Frodo's cameo in the movie.

Elijah Wood Can Easily Get Away With Playing Frodo Baggins Again

Wood's Age Shouldn't Present An issue

The eternally youthful Elijah Wood doesn't look much different at 43 from how he looked at 18 playing Frodo, making his reappearance as Frodo much easier. The movie would barely have to use de-aging technology, even though the availability of such things erases the age-related difficulty of an Elijah Wood cameo. Nonetheless, Peter Jackson will produce the movie, tentatively titled The Hunt for Gollum, so it can be trusted to create a convincing portrait of Frodo Baggins.

Elijah Wood's Frodo was 33 at the time of Bilbo's farewell feast, but the movie shouldn't struggle to portray Frodo's magically youthful appearance even over the 20 years that follow in the story.

Frodo Baggins is perfectly represented by Elijah Wood's ageless appearance, with Hobbits aging much slower than humans. The ages of the Fellowship were often hard to discern due to the supernatural features of their races, with Elves, Hobbits, and Dwarves all enjoying far longer lifespans than humans, Even Aragorn the human lived until 210 due to his Númenórean blood. Elijah Wood's Frodo was 33 at the time of Bilbo's farewell feast, but the movie shouldn't struggle to portray Frodo's magically youthful appearance even over the 20 years that follow in the story.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will likely be released in 2026.

The Hunt for Gollum is one of two linked The Lord of the Rings movies set for release over the coming years, the first in the duo. Whether Frodo's cameo arrived in movie one or two, it seems that Wood would be keen and age wouldn't be an issue. Meanwhile, Serkis said to Popverse that "there may be characters that we recognize that might be coming back. I’m not going to say who," teasing how actors like Elijah Wood may well get away with stepping right back into their old roles. All this sets the stage for an exciting return for one of The Lord of the Rings' most popular and important characters.

Sources: Deadline, JoBlo