This December will mark the 20th anniversary of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings' theatrical release, an occasion that would mark the beginning of the film franchise's impact on the high fantasy genre. Now, many are wondering if a cast reunion could be on the horizon, but could it really happen? Well, franchise star Elijah Wood weighs in on the possibility of all the main cast members coming back together again.
It would be pretty awesome if a reunion between Elijah Wood and the rest of the Fellowship could happen in New Zealand, the place that's provided Middle Earth with its beautiful landscapes throughout the franchise (which will soon change for the upcoming series), yet Wood explains that may not be possible. In an interview with Looper, the Lord of the Rings star explained how the pandemic may make such an event hard to pull off. Here it is in his own words:
We've talked a bunch. There's a lot of talk about a 20th anniversary gathering, but I don't know if anything's quite come together. It's also difficult because of COVID. I don't know that we could even get to New Zealand. In fact, I'm almost sure we couldn't get to New Zealand unless there were some major permits and some sort of way in there, which I suppose is possible, but that country's shut down. … It's a tough time. This particular year is a little hard for a variety of reasons, which is a shame, because we do, and we have, over the years, and certainly over this last year, talked about wanting to do something. I suppose the one benefit is that we do have at least two more 20th anniversaries to celebrate, so that's kind of nice. At least we have that.
Given the world's current health situation, Elijah Wood's concerns are incredibly valid, as there would certainly be plenty of logistics to figure out should an in-person meeting happen. While it may seem as though the actor isn’t confident that there will be a 20th anniversary reunion, it does sound like there could be a reunion at some point. The actor would go on to add some optimistic sentiments during the same interview:
I think there will absolutely be a gathering. I know we all want to celebrate together, and I think we want to be able to find a space that works for everybody. There are a lot of people who would love to sit down at a giant table and raise a glass to our experience, collectively, share stories and just hang out.
The idea of the original cast sitting at a huge table, banquet-style, 20 years older than they are in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is making me a little teary eyed, honestly. While a reunion may not be happening this year, fans do have some more Lord of the Rings content to look forward to in the near future. Amazon’s Lord of the Rings spin-off series is set to premiere next year, and even if it’s not the OG cast, its outrageously massive budget will hopefully lead to some pretty epic adventures.
And for those pining to se more of Elijah Wood and the original stars, you can stream the Lord of the Rings trilogy on HBO Max.
