Fans have been given their first glimpse of Frodo Baggins in the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
Warner Bros. released a series of behind-the-scenes photos to mark Hobbit Day, showing the Shire and several characters from the new film, which is currently being shot in New Zealand.
One of the biggest reveals is the return of Elijah Wood as Frodo.
However, fans will have to wait a little longer to see Wood fully back in character, as the newly released image only shows Frodo from behind.
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The photos do give fans a look at the familiar world of the Shire, with several Hobbits seen on set.
Director Andy Serkis, who is also returning as Gollum, can also be seen working behind the camera.
Wood's return is one of the biggest talking points surrounding The Hunt for Gollum, which takes place during the events of the original The Lord of the Rings story.
Serkis is directing the new film and will once again play Gollum, a role he first brought to life more than 20 years ago.
He will be joined by Ian McKellen, who is returning as Gandalf, while Lee Pace will reprise his role as the Elven king Thranduil, having previously played the character in The Hobbit trilogy.
The new cast includes Jamie Dornan, who will play Aragorn, taking over the role previously played by Viggo Mortensen, and Anya Taylor-Joy, who has joined the film as a new character called Seren.
Taylor-Joy has described Seren as a “lethal elf”, although the character does not appear in J.R.R. Tolkien's original books.
The film focuses on the search for Gollum as various characters attempt to discover the location of the One Ring. The period is briefly referenced in The Fellowship of the Ring, meaning the new movie will explore a part of the story that fans have only seen in passing.
There is also expected to be some digital de-aging used in the film, allowing characters such as Frodo and Gandalf to appear younger and closer to how they looked in the original trilogy.
Serkis previously confirmed that machine learning will form part of the process.
“There’s a little bit of de-aging for some of the characters and machine learning is part of the process,” he said.
That could explain why Warner Bros. has chosen to keep Wood's face out of the first official glimpse of Frodo.
The original Lord of the Rings cast has been closely associated with the franchise since The Fellowship of the Ring was released in 2001, making the return of Wood, McKellen and Serkis a major part of the excitement surrounding the new film.
Peter Jackson, who directed the original trilogy, is not directing The Hunt for Gollum, but he has previously said he is available to help Serkis if needed.
“I'm there to help if I can help, if I can be of assistance at certain times, I'm there,” Jackson said. “But I'm giving him as much freedom as I can.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is currently filming in New Zealand and is scheduled to be released in cinemas on December 17, 2027.
