Elijah Wood To Return As Frodo In The Hobbit?

We last saw Elijah Wood's Frodo in a tear-inducing, bittersweet goodbye as his ticket was punched on Middle Earth's Love Boat for a one-way trip to the Undying Lands. (Cancún.) However, it turns out that may not be the last time we see him. While the casting news we've been getting over the last few months have confirmed some minor anachronistic straying from the book, the latest may blow all of that away. Fan site TheOneRing (a fairly reliable source,) is reporting that Elijah Wood will reprise his role as Frodo in the upcoming films. Indeed, we always knew that Peter Jackson and company would need to utilize some unorthodox strategy in order to adapt the relatively short novel of The Hobbit into a two-part 3D epic for the big screen. (And for the record, that's a good thing!) So, you may ask yourself : "Doesn't The Hobbit take place like 80 years before The Lord of the Rings?" Well, once you hear the explanation, it will make sense. However, it's also kind of spoileriffic, so I would advise only clicking the read more link if you don't mind being privy to that sort of thing. Rest assured, it won't involve time-traveling DeLoreans, Skynet, or the schlepping of humpback whales.

Apparently, The Hobbit will open in a time period during or after the events of The Lord of the Rings. The key to Woods' appearance, seems to be the red book that we've seen Bilbo and later Frodo himself use to document their adventures. (Which was eventually given to Sam at the very end.) Its role in the Tolkien universe would go on further in the continuing Middle Earth history, known as the "Red Book of Westmarch." It is believed that Frodo, possibly accompanied by Hobbit companions Sam (Sean Astin,) Merry (Dominic Monaghan,) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) will sit down in a mellow moment and recite Bilbo's entry into the holy Hobbit book entitled "There And Back Again." I suppose it's comparable to the wraparound story of The NeverEnding Story, in which young outcast Bastian hides away to read the book, which then illustrates the story of hero Atreyu in the fantasy world to the audience. (Or The Princess Bride as another example of that type of device.)

In their confirmation of Wood's involvement in the film, TOR also makes note that the script will not be changed to accommodate him. We can take that to mean that this flash-forward sequence has been in the works all along. While the returns of other Hobbits Astin, Monaghan, and Boyd are not confirmed, it does seem likely, given not only the need for people with which Frodo would interact, but what a reunion would mean to this cast, who did become so close over the years filming the trilogy. Yet, with Cate Blanchett also confirmed to reprise her LOTR role as Galadriel and Orlando Bloom looking very likely to return as Legolas for the main story (remember, Elves have very long lives,) we still await the official confirmation of the extremely necessary returns of Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Andy Serkis as Gollum, and Hugo Weaving as Elrond.

What say you? Will the presence of Elijah Wood's Frodo make the return to Middle Earth in The Hobbit all the more sweet?

Source: TheOneRing