Elijah Wood "surprised" more Lord of the Rings films are being made
“Obviously at the core of that, is a desire to make a lot of money."
Although he's now starring in hit drama Yellowjackets, Elijah Wood is recognisable to many for his career-defining role of Frodo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Now, Wood has spoken out about the recent news that Warner Bros is developing more films in the Lord of the Rings franchise. The upcoming remakes are in the early stages of development, but speaking about the new movies, Wood told GQ: "I'm fascinated and I'm excited. I hope it's good. I'm surprised—I don't know why I'm surprised because, of course there would be more movies."
He continued: "Obviously at the core of that, is a desire to make a lot of money. It's not that a bunch of executives are like, ‘Let's make really awesome art.'
“And, again, not begrudging anybody because, of course, it is commerce. But great art can come from commerce. So those two things are not mutually exclusive."
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He added: "But Lord of the Rings didn't come out of that place. It came out of a passion for these books and wanting to see them realized. And I hope that that is ultimately what will drive everything forward with whatever these subsequent movies are.
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"I just hope that it's the same motivating factor at its core, whenever they hire a screenwriter and a filmmaker – that it is with reverence for Tolkien’s material and enthusiasm to explore it."
Not much is currently known about the new films apart from the fact that they're supposed to be entirely separate to Prime Video's The Rings of Power and mark a new deal between Warner Bros and Embracer Group. The latter holds the film rights to JRR Tolkien's wildly popular fantasy world.
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At the time of the announcement, director Peter Jackson and writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens said: "Warner Brothers and Embracer have kept us in the loop every step of the way. We look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward."
Warner Bros Pictures co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy said: "20 years ago, New Line took an unprecedented leap of faith to realise the incredible stories, characters and world of The Lord of the Rings on the big screen.
"The result was a landmark series of films that have been embraced by generations of fans. But for all the scope and detail lovingly packed into the two trilogies, the vast, complex and dazzling universe dreamed up by JRR Tolkien remains largely unexplored on film."
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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