New Lord Of The Rings 'Trailer' Casts Tom Holland As Frodo In A Hilarious Deepfake
If you see any headlines saying Tom Holland will appear in a "Lord of the Rings" reboot, don't believe it. The trailer in question is a deepfake — and a darn good one too. It depicts an alleged "reboot" of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy featuring Tom Holland as Frodo Baggins. Joining him in his quest is his faithful servant Samwise, recast as Jacob Batalon (who also plays Ned, Peter Parker's newly minted sorcerer best friend in the MCU).
The nearly two-minute trailer utilizes several clips from both of Peter Jackson's Middle-earth trilogies. We see pre-existing shots of places like Bag End, Lake-town, and the Lonely Mountain. A lofty mountain peak scene from Amazon Prime's "The Rings of Power" series is also included. Scattered amid this repurposed footage are several deepfake scenes with both actors' faces layered over the bodies and movements of Elijah Wood's Frodo and Sean Astin's Samwise. Their voices are even adjusted to sound like the faux actor replacements for dramatic effect. The clickbaity title for the trailer reads "The Lord of the Rings (2025) – First Trailer | Tom Holland, Jacob Batalon."
The jolly little clip was put together by KH Studios, a YouTube channel committed to "creating concept trailers and much more just for fun and to bring entertainment to all of you." The channel's home page adds that its trailer mashups are derivations of existing or potential projects from real studios and that its content helps to amp up anticipation for future releases—both of the legitimate and hopeful variety.
The deepfake trailer is a lesson for Warner Bros
While the deepfake "Lord of the Rings" reboot is good for a laugh, fans were quick to use the opportunity to weigh in on the concept of a reboot in general, turning the fun little video into a cautionary lesson for Warner Bros., Amazon Studios, and anyone involved in Middle-earth projects. The resounding message? Don't reboot Jackson's trilogy any time soon. Seriously, guys. It's a bad idea.
The top comment from @copythatdude6738 dramatically stated, "I almost had a heart attack, bc we don't need a remake or anything, leave the original movies as they are. Almost got me mad xD." That single line got 600 likes in one day and was followed by much of the same.
For instance, @Arthaslk67 commented, "Thankfully, this isn't real. I almost died. Lord of the Rings is a perfect masterpiece as it is. It does NOT need anything else." @creature1974able added, "I almost dropped face first. So relieved that there is no remake. It can never be done." @henrymclaughlin-cross4095 sarcastically tossed in their two cents, saying, "'There is only one Lord of the Rings, and he does not share power'!"
While the cheeky responses were everywhere, YouTuber user @critter777 offered a more insightful critique of a potential reboot, saying, "I think the LOTR trilogy couldn't be bested. It was filmed exactly when it should've been, CGI was just advanced enough to polish the very real actors and armor and props (and locations) that were masterfully designed and implemented.. the Hobbit proves it IMO."
Other movies are on the way, all the same
Studios, be warned. Trying to reboot a cinematic trilogy as iconic as Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" is fraught with more peril than Frodo's quest to Mount Doom. Nevertheless, new "Lord of the Rings" movies are apparently on the way from Warner Bros. Discovery. Fortunately, the early rumblings about potential new movies set in Middle-earth indicated moving toward unexplored territory in J.R.R. Tolkien's world rather than rehashing already near-perfect adaptations.
There are plenty of unadapted "Lord of the Rings" related storylines out there. For instance, conflicts like the War of the Last Alliance, the Angmar War, and the War in the North are key off-screen conflicts that either feed into or occur during "The Lord of the Rings."
There are also plenty of opportunities for individual spin-off movies. A Young Aragorn film concept has been rumored for years, and there's just enough information on the Ranger's earlier life (tucked away in the appendices of "The Return of the King" book) to create a killer spin-off film. Other movie ideas could follow the five Wizards, Legolas, and even obscure or enigmatic individuals like Farmer Maggot or Tom Bombadil, respectively.
And then there's The New Shadow, Tolkien's abandoned sequel to "The Lord of the Rings." The barely begun story has the potential for a creative mind to complete. But in the end, they would have to overcome Tolkien's own thoughts on the sequel attempt being "not worth doing."
Regardless, there are plenty of other stories to adapt—and we haven't even touched on the story-rich First and Second Ages. Surely studios can focus on other things rather than perpetually revisiting past success in the fashion of Disney live-action remakes.