“A wizard is to be trusted,” Wood said of his costar’s hints.

Elijah Wood addresses Frodo’s return in The Hunt for Gollum after Ian McKellen’s tease

"A wizard is to be trusted," Wood said of his costar's hints.

By Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff is an award-winning journalist and staff writer at ** with over 12 years of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry.

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January 12, 2026 10:50 p.m. ET

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Elijah Wood in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' (2001). Credit: Pierre Vinet/New Line

When it comes to whether or not he'll reprise his role as Frodo in the new *Lord of the Rings* movie, *The Hunt for Gollum*, Elijah Wood must plead the Fifth.

“I can neither confirm nor deny. Listen, a wizard is to be trusted,” Wood told ScreenRant at Fan Expo New Orleans, referring to a tease last year from fellow *LOTR* star, Ian McKellen. “Aside from any of that, I’m not really allowed to confirm."

What he can confirm, though, is that he's "really excited about the film." Said Wood, "I think it really is a creative 'getting the band back together.' A lot of the creative heads of department are back and in that space again. Philippa [Boyens], I think, is co-writing it and producing it. It’s very much that core original group getting back together to tell this story that will feel like a really fun exploration of this character that we all love so much. And I’m just really excited."

's 'The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring' stars Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood.

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He continued, "I’m excited for Andy [Serkis] to direct it. It feels so unbelievably appropriate that he directs a film about his character that he has really made his own. I’m thrilled. It’ll be great. And I’m excited to see.... I know their intention is to make other films in this universe. And that’s exciting, interesting to see where that goes, but very exciting."

In summer 2024, original *LOTR *helmer Peter Jackson was announced as producing a new live-action installment in *The Lord of the Rings *franchise with Gollum actor Andy Serkis directing and starring in the new film, which was slated for a 2026 release at the time. The release date has since been delayed to December 17, 2027.

As Wood referred to, last August, McKellen dropped a casting bombshell at the For the Love of Fantasy* *fan event in London.

"I hear there's going to be another movie based in Middle-earth, and it's going to start filming in May. It's going to be directed by Gollum, and it's all about Gollum," the Gandalf actor could be heard telling the crowd in clips shared to social media at the time.

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"I'll tell you two secrets about the casting: There's a character in the movie called Frodo, and there's a character in the movie called Gandalf," he added, as the crowd gasped. McKellen then joked, "Apart from that, my lips are sealed!"

Though McKellen did not specifically say whether he and Wood would reprise their roles in the new movie, Wood was also present at the fan event, smiling conspiratorially as McKellen spoke alongside fellow *LOTR* alums Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, and John Rhys-Davies.**

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