Elijah Wood ‘Couldn’t Deny’ Coming To TV For ‘Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’ [Video]

Developed by BBC America from the Douglas Adams novel, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency promises to be something unusual, even for those who feel they have truly seen it all. As such, it only seems fitting that Elijah Wood joins the project, considering his adventures in Tolkien’s Middle Earth as Frodo Baggins, only to have been followed up by an array of unusual characters in films like Cooties, Maniac, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Together with Samuel Barnett as the titular Dirk Gently, Wood opens up a whole new world of the surreal and fantastical supernatural world, as seen through Adams’ writing and the directing of Max Landis.

Elijah Wood Reluctantly Joins Forces With Dirk Gently

BBC America premiered the first look at Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con and now that the series is set to premiere, everyone is taking a deeper look at the Douglas Adams-based series. The trailer goes a long way toward sharing the idea that Dirk Gently is both a comedy, dark at times, and a supernatural drama, but none of that quite prepares the viewer for what is to come. There’s an element of mystery that elevates Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency beyond the expectations of those familiar with such blends of humor and drama.

In Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Elijah Wood plays second fiddle to Barnett’s Dirk Gently and only reluctantly so, but this is a role that almost seems to have been written specifically with Wood in mind. Elijah Wood begins the series as a jaded and frustrated bellhop, but, through a series of misadventures, ends up getting fired by the hotel manager and also finds himself forcibly partnered with Dirk.

Accepting his fate as Gently’s sidekick, Wood’s character must finally ask what exactly his new employer means when he asserts that he’s a holistic detective.

“The term ‘holistic’ refers to my convictions about the fundamental inter-connectedness of all things. I do not concern myself with such petty things as fingerprint powder, telltale pieces of pocket weapon, inane footprints,” Barnett’s Dirk explains. “I see the solution to each problem as being detectable in the pattern and web of the whole.”

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency Star Elijah Wood Was Compelled To Join The Cast

In a new interview, Elijah Wood talks about joining BBC America‘s Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency and reveals that he wasn’t looking for another television series. In fact, Wood hasn’t really done much on the small screen, and that suits him fine. He says he really enjoyed his time on 2014’s Wilfred but adds that he doesn’t list a long-running TV series among the projects that take priority with him. It wasn’t until Elijah began researching the project that he felt drawn to the story.

Wood says Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency was something he “couldn’t deny” and explains what exactly attracted him to the Douglas Adams story.

“How funny and surprising it was. The thing I was most impressed with was thinking about how you’re constantly being thrust in different directions. I thought that it would be a distraction,” explains Wood. “But I didn’t find it irritating or overwhelmingly confusing. I just found it exhilarating and I wanted to know where it was going to go.”

Wood was also asked if he looks for more unusual roles in an effort to distance himself from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which was so successful that Elijah found himself drowning in the Frodo Baggins persona. The Dirk Gently actor replied that those concerns are no longer a problem now that time has distanced himself from the role. Instead of trying to avoid being typecast into specific kinds of roles, Wood now looks for projects that simply interest him.

“It’s not entirely my intention to be un-peggable, but my taste is broad and varied,” reveals Elijah Wood. “Often what I do reflects the kinds of movies I want to see.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency debuts tonight on BBC America.

[Featured Image by BBC America]