Elijah Wood, who played the protagonist, Frodo Baggins, in Peter Jackson’sThe Lord of the Ringsseries, believes the films couldn’t be made today like they were back in the early 2000s.The Lord of the Ringstrilogy was shot simultaneously in New Zealand from October 1999 to December 2000, on a combined budget of $281 million, and ended up grossing almost $3 billion at the box office. Made on a fraction of the budget of a modern Hollywood blockbuster,The Lord of the Ringsseries has become one of the most successful and influential franchises in cinema history.
Elijah Woodbelieves what Peter Jackson accomplished in adapting J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy series,The Lord of the Rings, can’t be replicated again. There is too much studio interference, and everybody has an opinion on the internet.The Fellowship of the Ring, the first film in theLord of the Ringsseries, was released on July 29, 2025. Celebrating the film’s 20th anniversary, Wood gave an interview toThe New York Times. Wood reminisced about his experience playing Frodo, his relationship with co-stars, and the challenging yet rewarding New Zealand shoot. When asked if the movies could be made today the way they were two decades ago, Wood said the following:
“There was a great sense of a lack of oversight. Peter and the larger team were allowed to make the movies the way that they wanted to make them without much outside perspective. That doesn’t mean the studio wasn’t afraid or invested. They knew the risk of making these films back to back. I don’t know if he would be able to make them in the same way now.”
Studio interferencehas become a big issue nowadays, and most producers focus on selling tickets rather than letting a filmmaker tell the story he wants. Look at what happened to Zack Snyder. Peter Jackson, too had his share of troubles with producers, especiallyHarvey Weinstein, who threatened to replace him with Quentin Tarantino. Jackson ultimately shoppedLord of the Ringsto New Line Cinema, and the rest is history.
Elijah Wood also blames social media and the internet for further complicating a filmmaker’s job.
“Look, the internet’s different too. There was less scrutiny on the films. There was less known about them. We were able to make the movies in a bubble. We had quaint problems, like there would be some photographers up on a hill, but it was pretty minor. [Laughs.] I don’t know if that would be possible now. Now the world is online and there’s a great deal of access afforded to pretty much anybody about anything.”
We’ll have to agree with Elijah Wood about that. Things were simpler back then. These days, people are willing to go to any length to learn about their favorite movies. Directors like Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino have completely banned cell phones from their film sets. Other big-budget ventures, like the recently releasedSpider-Man: No Way Home, are mostly shot inside a studio and make extensive use of NDA’s and lawsuits to discourage people from leaking plot info.
Amazon’s upcomingLord of the Ringstelevision adaptation has miraculously kept its secrets safe but hasendured the internet’s wrathfrom time to time. Will it live up to the legacy of Jackson’s film trilogy? We’ll find out whenLord of the Ringspremieres on Amazon Prime on August 22, 2025. Elijah Wood will next be seen alongside Peter Dinklage and Kevin Bacon in Macon Blair’sToxic Avengerreboot.
