Frodo and Gandalf Will Reunite In The Hunt For Gollum, Ian McKellen Teases

Ian McKellen is eager to reprise his role as Gandalf in Warner Bros’ Lord of the Rings spinoff, tentatively titled The Hunt for Gollum — so much so that he’s become the main source of updates for the upcoming film. The actor was one of the first to reveal that the project was even happening, and that his Gandalf the Grey would play a role. Though its creative team was a long way from producing a script then, McKellen seemed to know plenty about their plans; he even claimed that the eponymous search for the Hobbit known as Gollum would be split into two films.

Updates on The Hunt for Gollum have been scarce in the months since, likely because Andy Serkis (who’ll reprise his role as Gollum, in addition to directing), former director Peter Jackson, and the rest of the team are working hard to nail down this story. McKellen hadn’t yet read a script for the film in 2024, but there’s a chance he’s gotten his hands on one since. During an appearance at the For the Love of Fantasy fan event in London last week, the actor had more updates on The Hunt for Gollum. According to his sources, filming is set to begin next May, putting the film on track for a 2027 release.

McKellen then dropped an even bigger bombshell about The Hunt for Gollum: “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.”

Since The Hunt for Gollum is said to take place in the space between the final Hobbit film, The Battle of the Five Armies, and The Fellowship of the Ring, an appearance from Gandalf seemed like a given. In fact, aspects of this period of literally hunting for Gollum are referenced with The Fellowship of the Ring, but aren’t depicted in real-time. This is why Aragorn, hypothetically being in the movie, has always made sense, but Frodo’s return has always been up in the air. In theory, Frodo wasn’t around for this hunt, but as the Fellowship tells us, Aragorn was. And yet, Elijah Wood, who played Frodo across three films, even told Inverse how “excited” he is to see what comes of the upcoming reboot.

“It just feels like getting the band back together in a really cool way for a really unique piece,” he said. “It’s revisiting that character, giving Andy a movie to direct... There’s no better person to shepherd that particular movie than the person who really created that character and knows that character through and through.”

Whether it’s for a brief cameo or an extended appearance, The Hunt for Gollum is getting the Fellowship back together in earnest. There’s no word yet on whether Wood will reprise his role alongside McKellen — but if both return, it’d make sense that other legacy actors will follow suit.