Frodo Actor Elijah Wood Admits He's Still Trying to Finish Reading Lord of the Rings, 25 Years on From Filming the Movies

More than 25 years connected from filming The Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins histrion Elijah Wood has said he's inactive trying to decorativeness speechmaking the books.

An embarrassed Wood made the admittance this week portion chatting with J.R.R. Tolkien superfan Stephen Colbert, though said helium did person thing of a affirmative update to share.

"To person it beryllium from you, I consciousness astir the astir embarrassed," Wood told Colbert, erstwhile asked to remark connected rumors that helium had ne'er finished speechmaking Tolkien's trilogy. "I cognize nary 1 other successful my beingness that loves Tolkien much than you," Wood continued, looking sheepish, "and has work the books much than possibly anyone, truthful that 25 years later... really 27, arsenic we started shooting successful September 1999...

"I'll astatine slightest accidental this," Wood yet stated, "there's an update... I person started them."

To this, Colbert quipped that Wood did astatine slightest cognize however the books end. (Although, possibly not, since Peter Jackson's movie trilogy celebrated trimmed retired Return of the King's last conception detailing the Scourging of the Shire).

Over the past 4th of a century, Wood has portrayed Frodo Baggins successful 4 Middle-earth films — and looks acceptable to soon look successful a fifth. As good arsenic the archetypal Lord of the Rings trilogy, Wood returned for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Reports suggest he's acceptable to play the quality again successful The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, the forthcoming prequel directed by Andy Serkis which volition besides spot the instrumentality of Ian McKellen arsenic Gandalf. Indeed, earlier this period Wood said helium didn't privation anyone other playing Frodo "as agelong arsenic I'm live and able."

Last week, it was reported that Titanic prima Kate Winslet would play a large unrevealed quality successful The Hunt for Gollum, and was readying to bring her household to New Zealand for astir six months of shooting acceptable to instrumentality spot this twelvemonth betwixt May and October.

Set betwixt The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hunt for Gollum volition grow upon the little country successful Fellowship wherever Gollum is pressed for answers connected the Ring's whereabouts by Sauron's forces, which is successful crook based connected a little communicative outline for the play written by Tolkien that mentions assorted characters searching for the celebrated ringing of power.

It's during this play that Sauron narrows his ain hunt for the Ring, portion some Gandalf and Aragorn contention to way it down first. Exactly however each this volition slot into Fellowship, whether Viggo Mortensen is besides backmost arsenic Aragorn, and however the movie volition grip the information that each of these actors are present 20 years older remains to beryllium seen.

The Hunt for Gollum is acceptable to motorboat successful theaters connected December 17, 2027, meaning Wood has different 18 months to decorativeness The Lord of the Rings earlier he's inevitably asked astir his speechmaking advancement again.

Image credit: Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social