‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’: Elijah Wood Confirms Plot Details!!

The road goes ever on, as a return to Middle-earth is fast approaching. After years of different attempts to expand The Lord of the Rings beyond Peter Jackson’s original trilogy, this newest project has one big advantage. It’s a story we already know, and we want to know more, precious. But what exactly is the new Gollum-set prequel about? Well, we might know already.

Speaking during a panel at Fan Expo Vancouver, Elijah Wood addressed a recent alleged plot leak for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum and appeared to confirm that the leaked details are legitimate. The film, directed by Andy Serkis, is set to arrive on December 17, 2027, and will follow Gollum in the years before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. “I feel like just [recently], someone articulated what the premise of the film is… Like, the actual logline of the movie and in more detail,” Wood said. “So, that’s cool. It’s out there in the world. So, it’s essentially following Gollum, and it’s a little bit of the backstory of Smeagol, and understanding a little bit more deeply where he came from.”

That lines up with the reported synopsis, which suggested that The Hunt for Gollum will explore Sméagol before his full transformation into Gollum, as well as his pursuit of the One Ring after Bilbo Baggins takes it from his cave. Since Gollum dies at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the new film was always expected to be a prequel, but Wood’s comments give fans a clearer idea of where in the timeline the story will sit. Wood also pointed to one key piece of Tolkien lore that the movie appears set to expand: Gollum being tracked before Sauron can learn too much about the Ring’s location.

“And then [the film is] tracking him with Rangers, who have been tasked to track him, because he’s got this sort of… he carries with him, as he’s tortured,” Wood said. “We see that a little bit in Lord of the Rings, where he’s tortured, and he sort of says, ‘Shire Baggins,’ which alerts Sauron to the Shire, because otherwise, it was not a place he was ever considering looking for.” For context, in The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf explains that Gollum was captured and tortured in Mordor, where he revealed the words “Shire” and “Baggins.” The Hunt for Gollum now seems likely to dramatize the tense period before that information fully reaches the wrong hands, with Rangers attempting to find Gollum before Sauron’s forces can use him to uncover the Ring’s location.

Who Is Involved in ‘The Hunt for Gollum’?

The cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum also includes Andy Serkis (King Kong) as Gollum, Ian McKellen (X-Men) as Gandalf the Grey, Lee Pace (Guardians of the Galaxy) as Thranduil, and Jamie Dornan (Belfast) as Aragorn. Kate Winslet (Titanic) and Leo Woodall (The White Lotus) have also been cast. The project also brings back the original creative team behind Jackson’s trilogy, with Peter Jackson (King Kong), Fran Walsh (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), and Philippa Boyens (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers) involved behind the scenes.