To celebrate Hobbit Day, Warner Bros. released the first official behind-the-scenes set photos for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum on their official TikTok account. The gallery offers a 10-photo preview of the return to Middle-earth, capturing the Shire in New Zealand in full production.
Elijah Wood back on set in Hobbiton
The biggest reveal in the collection is the official confirmation that Elijah Wood is back in costume as Frodo Baggins. Standing right outside the familiar green door of Bag End, Wood looks right at home back under the Hill.
Lore-wise, The Hunt for Gollum takes place during the 17-year gap in The Fellowship of the Ring between Bilbo’s 111th birthday party and Frodo’s departure from Hobbiton. During these years, Gandalf enlists Aragorn to track Gollum across Wilderland to learn what the creature revealed under torture in Barad-dûr. Seeing Frodo in the Shire aligns perfectly with Tolkien’s chronology—he was living peacefully at Bag End while Aragorn and Gandalf searched Middle-earth.
With Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens producing and Andy Serkis directing, the production is currently filming on location in New Zealand. The film is targeted for theatrical release on December 17, 2027.
