Elijah Wood 'felt like no time had passed' on The Hunt for Gollum set

Elijah Wood "felt like no time had passed" when he reprised his role as Frodo Baggins in the upcoming The Lord of the Rings movie The Hunt for Gollum.

The actor, who filmed the original Lord of the Rings trilogy in 1999 and 2000, will return as his famous Hobbit character, Frodo, in the upcoming movie.

Recalling what it was like to return to the set in New Zealand, Wood told Deadline that muscle memory kicked in when he put on his prosthetic Hobbit feet.

"It was beautiful and surreal and it felt like no time had passed," he said of the filming experience. "It felt like stepping back into time. You know, looking down at (my Hobbit feet), having this sort of muscle memory of like, 'I've seen these feet this way. I know this wardrobe.' And that feeling is so wild. It's so transportive. It's like suddenly 27 years are gone and you're back in it again. So that was really lovely and special."

Wood starred as Frodo in 2001's The Fellowship of the Ring, 2002's The Two Towers, 2003's The Return of the King and the 2012 prequel The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

His original co-stars Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis and Lee Pace also return as Gandalf, Gollum and Thranduil in The Hunt for Gollum, which recently wrapped filming. Serkis also directed the project.

The Deep Impact star added that the crew was made up of younger people who grew up on and have "reverence for" the Middle-earth films.

"Seeing Gandalf walk into set was an awe-inspiring moment for people who had grown (up watching) those movies. That was very cool and very sweet," he shared.

New cast members include Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan, Anya Taylor-Joy and Leo Woodall.

The Hunt for Gollum, which is set between The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, is set to open on 17 December 2027.