Elijah Wood ‘Surprised’ By New Lord of the Rings Movies, “I Hope They’re Not Just to Make a Lot of Money”

Elijah Wood Lord of the Rings

Warner Bros is set to revive the beloved film franchise of The Lord of the Rings with new films that will take audiences back to the beautiful fantasy world created by JRR Tolkien. 

Elijah Wood, the protagonist of the original trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, recently spoke to GQ about his reaction to the news of these upcoming movies. “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.”

Expressing his fascination and enthusiasm for the new films, Wood also commented that the desire to make money was likely the driving force behind the decision to create them. “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.'”

However, he acknowledged that great art could emerge from commerce and that the two are not mutually exclusive. “Not begrudging anybody because, of course, it is commerce. But great art can come from commerce. So those two things are not mutually exclusive.”

Wood emphasized that the original Lord of the Rings trilogy was not born out of a desire to make money but rather out of a passion for Tolkien’s books and a strong desire to see them adapted for the screen. “It came out of a passion for these books and wanting to see them realized.”

He expressed the hope that this same passion and reverence for the material will guide the development of the new films, from hiring writers and directors to the ultimate execution of the project. 

“And I hope that that is ultimately what will drive everything forward with whatever these subsequent movies are. 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.” 

via – Variety