He might have traipsed from the Shire to Mordor in character as Frodo Baggins, but Elijah Wood has never found the time to read The Lord of the Rings.
The actor was the face of Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, released from 2001 to 2003, but before starring in the films, he had never read the classic fantasy book by JRR Tolkien. In fact, Wood hasn’t rectified this in the 27 years since he was cast in the film.
However, he’s changing that – the 45-year-old actor announced on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a noted Tolkien expert, that he’s finally started.
Colbert addressed the elephant in the room during the interview, stating: “I have this other rumour I need to get into with you. “And I don’t want to put you on the spot here, OK? Is it true that you still haven’t finished reading The Lord of the Rings?”
Wood, who stars in the new horror comedy Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, laughed in response, admitting to feeling shame over the revelation. “To have it be from you, I feel almost the most embarrassed, Stephen,” he said. “Because I know no one else in my life that loves Tolkien more than you and has read the books more than maybe anyone.”
He then eased the awkwardness by telling Colbert: “I’ll at least say this. There’s an update. I have started them.”
Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings, his classic Middle-earth tale filled with orcs and elves, between 1937 and 1949 – but it didn’t get published until the 1950s.
Perhaps spurring on Wood’s decision to forge ahead with the book, which exceeds one thousand words, is that a new Lord of the Rings film is being made.
Andy Serkis is directing and starring in The Hunt for Gollum, which focuses on the cunning Middle-earth character the actor played in the trilogy, as well as the first Hobbit film.
While Sir Ian McKellen is confirmed to be returning as Gandalf, it’s not officially known whether Wood will be showing up as Frodo. However, he’s strongly suspected to be a part of the production when it kicks off in New Zealand in July – with the actor telling The Times in March 2026 that McKellen “let the cat out of the bag” at a convention last year.
“So there is a good chance,” he said. “I’m not able to officially say anything until it’s announced, but I will say I’m thrilled with the prospect of another film.”
He added that he “certainly wouldn’t want anybody else to play Frodo either as long as I’m alive and able”.
Another Lord of the Rings actor also said he would be up for returning in a future film. Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s original trilogy, told The Independent series Go to Bat he would reprise the role “if it seemed right and was faithful to what Tolkien wrote”. However, according to reports, producers are lining up One Day star Leo Woodall to play the role.
The Hunt for Gollum will be released in 2027, around the same time Wood might finish reading The Lord of the Rings.
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