Hugo Weaving won’t return to play Elrond in new ‘Lord Of The Rings’ film: “Absolutely no plans or desires to be a part of it”
'The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum' is set for release in 2026
by Damian Jones · NMEHugo Heaving has ruled out a return to The Lord Of The Rings franchise.
Earlier this year, Warner Bros. announced that it is set to release a new Lord Of The Rings film in 2026, featuring help from Peter Jackson.
The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum will centre around Andy Serkis’ character and is a prequel to the original trilogy.
Jackson, will be producing the movie alongside Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh, which is set to be released in cinemas in 2026.
Now, speaking in a new interview with GamesRadar+, Weaving was asked about whether he would be making a return as Elrond, to which he responded: “Personally, I’ve had enough of that. It was great being in New Zealand on and off over a 10 year period. I did then go back and work with the same team [director Peter Jackson and writer Fran Walsh] on a project called Mortal Engines which was going to be their next big franchise, but it died on its arse. So, I’ve had enough of Middle-earth. I don’t imagine anyone would ask me to do it again.”
He went on to say that even if he wanted to return, he is unsure how that would work given that Elrond is an immortal being.
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Weaving added: “Elrond is meant to be immortal and I’m aging. Elrond is one of the few characters, I think there’s only three or four of them, who spans through The Silmarillion, Lord Of The Rings, and The Hobbit.
“But even when we went back to reshoot certain parts of Lord Of The Rings, I was aware I was older than I was before. And shooting stuff on The Hobbit was starting to get slightly silly. I loved being a part of that franchise but I have absolutely no plans or desires to be a part of it anymore.”
News of the new LOTR projects arose last year, when Warner Bros. announced that studio leaders Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy had made a deal to create “multiple” movies based on the J.R.R. Tolkien novels.
Elsewhere, the second season of The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power recently came to a close. All eight episodes of the second season of the show are streaming on Amazon Prime Video now.
In a four-star review of this season, NME wrote: “The action comes to a head in an epic battle told across two episodes, balanced against some excellent character work (and surprising deaths). Those who complained that nothing happened in House Of The Dragon’s sophomore effort will thrill at how The Rings Of Power refuses to slump.”