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Tag: Lord of the Rings

  • Beyond the Grey Havens — Stephen Colbert to Co-Write LOTR Sequel ‘Shadow of the Past’ Following ‘The Late Show’ Exit

    Stephen Colbert has found his next calling. In an announcement made alongside Peter Jackson, Colbert–who is leaving The Late Show on May 21st–announced that he will join the forces of Middle-earth.

    Colbert is co-writing a brand-new, live-action film tentatively titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past. It’s being framed as a direct sequel to the original trilogy that doubles as a “lost chapter” adaptation. Colbert’s specific pitch to Peter Jackson involves adapting the six early chapters of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring that were skipped in the 2001 film—specifically everything from “Three is Company” to “Fog on the Barrow-downs.”

    The thing I found myself reading over and over again were the six chapters early on in The Fellowship [of the Ring] that y’all never developed into the first movie back in the day. It’s basically chapters ‘Three Is Company’ through ‘Fog on the Barrow-downs,’ and I thought, Oh wait, maybe that could be its own story that could fit into the larger story. Could we make something that was completely faithful to the books while also being completely faithful to the movies that you guys had already made?

    -Stephen Colbert

    The movie will be set 14 years after the death of Frodo and use that timeline as a framing device to revisit these untold stories, allowing the film to exist as both a sequel to The Return of the King and a mid-quel to the early days of the journey with the story reportedly centers on Elanor Gardner, the daughter of Samwise Gamgee. While her father and his friends Merry and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their original adventure, Elanor discovers a “long-buried secret” that suggests the War of the Ring was nearly lost before it even truly began.

    Fourteen years after the passing of Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began.

    -Official synopsis for The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past

    Colbert is writing the screenplay alongside his son, Peter McGee, and Philippa Boyens. Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh are on board to produce via WingNut Films, ensuring the original trilogy aesthetic remains untouched.

    While casting is still under wraps, the synopsis practically begs for the return of Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd. With the story focusing on their older selves retracing their steps, the timing for the original cast to return–now 25 years older in real life–couldn’t be more perfect.

  • Kate Winslet Joins ‘The Hunt FOR Gollum’ in Massive Lead Role

    While the return of the Lord of the Rings legacy heavyweights for Andy Serkis’s directorial debut in the franchise has been making headlines, industry insider Daniel Richtman just dropped the biggest casting nuke yet: Kate Winslet is officially heading to New Zealand to star in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

    Winslet’s breakout role was in LOTR director Peter Jackson’s 1994 masterpiece Heavenly Creatures. According to Deadline’s follow up report, Serkis and Jackson spent “most of last year” coaxing Winslet into joining the project. She’s reportedly uprooting her family to New Zealand for a shoot that runs from late May through October.

    Though the studio is keeping the specific character under wraps, she is playing the “female lead” of the film. Given the film will be set between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, smart speculation seems to be on her playing Gilraen, the mother of Aragorn. If the film explores Aragorn’s early years and his lineage as he tracks Gollum, Gilraen could serve as the emotional anchor of that story.

    Winslet joins an increasingly “legacy” cast that includes:

    • ​Ian McKellen (Gandalf)
    • ​Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins)
    • ​Andy Serkis (Gollum/Director)

    While Viggo Mortensen won’t be back, the addition of Winslet gives this film the prestige weight it needs to feel like a true successor to the original trilogy rather than just a spin-off. Warner Bros. is clearly playing for keeps with a December 17, 2027 release date.

  • Peter Jackson Returning to ‘Lord of the Rings’ with a New, Live-Action Movie, ‘The Hunt for Gollum’, in 2026

    Peter Jackson Returning to ‘Lord of the Rings’ with a New, Live-Action Movie, ‘The Hunt for Gollum’, in 2026

    As the original Lord of the Rings trilogy heads back into theaters this summer, Warner Bros. is preparing an all-new adventure in Middle-earth. During an earnings call, CEO David Zaslav shared the news that the studio was developing a new, live-action film with Peter Jackson.

    Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful and revered franchises in history and presents a significant opportunity for theatrical business.

    -David Zaslov

    The film, titled The Hunt for Gollum, will be produced by Jackson and directed by Andy Serkis, who brought the character to life in the original trilogy and will reprise the role. WB plans to have the film in theaters in 2026.

    According to Zaslav, the new film will “explore storylines yet to be told.” The CEO shared that the film is “now in the early stages of script development” and that Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who helped craft the original trilogy, “will be involved every step of the way.” 

    Jackson’s original trilogy grossed over $3B globally and remains a beloved translation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Though the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit trilogy and Amazon Prime’s The Rings of Power series have all delved into Tolkien’s Middle-earth works, there’s still plenty of work from the prolific author to tap into.

    Source: Variety

  • Warner Bros Wants ‘The Lord of the Rings’ to be Like ‘Star Wars’

    Warner Bros Wants ‘The Lord of the Rings’ to be Like ‘Star Wars’

    In a surprising twist, Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series, Rings of Power, is about to get its biggest competition yet in Warner Bros. Discovery, as they purchased the rights to once again create films based around the iconic novels of J.R.R. Tolkien. While their future is uncertain about where they are going with this new take, it does seem they are once again being quite ambitious.

    According to insiders, it seems that Warner Bros. has high hopes to turn Lord of the Rings into their Star Wars. They seem to ambitiously want to explore stories that all take place in the same world that offer different glimpses of this sprawling fantasy world created decades ago. It’s an ambitious thought, though raises more questions on how exactly they hope to achieve it.

    Unlike Star Wars, they don’t have a galaxy worth of storytelling with a franchise that is steeped in a wide variety of genres. Marvel and DC at least have decades of history with a broad range of characters they can bring to the silver screen, yet Lord of the Rings is mostly famous for two distinct stories.

    So, it would be quite challenging for them to not only find a way to create unique stories that could carry a “Cinematic Universe” approach but also somehow keep this very traditional fantasy story fresh. Warner Bros. is definitely ambitious with this project, but it does raise some eyebrows on how exactly they hope to achieve this even if they bring back the original trilogy’s director, Peter Jackson.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Warner Bros. Wants Peter Jackson Back for New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Films

    Warner Bros. Wants Peter Jackson Back for New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Films

    Every new franchise nowadays is more than just an ongoing series of films. We are long away from the days of trilogies or even long-running film series like Harry Potter. The Cinematic Universe is the template everyone aspires to be and that takes a visionary to push it forward. Warner Bros. already found their Kevin Feige in James Gunn and Peter Safran, but they have their eyes on another to revive their latest milestone franchise.

    Just after announcing to the world that they have acquired the rights to make Lord of the Rings films during the Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, insiders are hinting that they also already know who they want on board. After Amazon fumbled the bag, the production studio hopes to have Peter Jackson, the director of the original trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy, to bring this franchise back.

    Not just Jackson, but also his writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who are “precious talent” for the studio. The biggest challenge ahead though is if this new film franchise can exist opposite the Amazon TV series, as they try to avoid them blurring the lines between these two takes on the same property. That will be quite tricky as they had the film’s original composer Howard Shore work on the main title.

    Amazon already has a 50-hour commitment to the series and is currently busy filming the second season. Showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne are still working on the project that was supposedly one of Amazon’s biggest shows ever but was given a rather mixed reception by the Internet and critics. It is still surprising they never went for the film rights, especially with MGM Studio now being a part of their expanding media landscape.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • Warner Bros. Developing New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Films

    Warner Bros. Developing New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Films

    It looks like Embracer Group has found the home for their newly acquired Lord of the Rings rights, as they are moving forward with the development of new films with Warner Bros. and New Line. They have finalized a multi-year deal that allows them to develop films based on J.R.R. Tolkien‘s iconic books.

    The announcement comes from the investor call. CEO David Zaslav has already hinted at this potential move, as he looked back to the studio’s “glory days” in the early 200s with franchises like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and The Dark Knight Trilogy. Though, Embracer Group holding the rights left a few questions if they could bring the franchise back.

    There’s no word on what exactly they hope to achieve with these rights, as they might simply rehash a story that was already done extremely well by Peter Jackosn, but studio heads Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy highlighted they aren’t here to retread familiar ground.

    Twenty years ago, New Line took an unprecedented leap of faith to realize the incredible stories, characters and world of The Lord of the Rings on the big screen.  The result was a landmark series of films that have been embraced by generations of fans.  But for all the scope and detail lovingly packed into the two trilogies, the vast, complex and dazzling universe dreamed up by J.R.R. Tolkien remains largely unexplored on film.  The opportunity to invite fans deeper into the cinematic world of Middle-earth is an honor, and we are excited to partner with Middle-earth Enterprises and Embracer on this adventure.

    De Luca actually has a history with The Lord of the Rings, as he was the president of production for New Line when the first movie, Fellowship of the Ring, was in development but ended up being let go before it was released. We’ll see if he’ll still be around when they revive this franchise.

    .Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Adds to Season 2 Cast

    ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Adds to Season 2 Cast

    Season 2 of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has added seven new cast members. The streamer announced on Thursday that Gabriel Akuwudike (Hanna), Yasen “Zates” Atour (The Witcher), Ben Daniels (The Crown), Amelia Kenworthy, Nia Towle (Persuasion), and Nicholas Woodeson (Rome) have all joined the series for Season 2. As of now, it’s unknown which roles they’ll be playing. Also joining the cast for Season 2 is Sam Hazeldine (Peaky Blinders) who will take over the role of Adar from Joseph Mawle this season.

    In a statement to the press, Vernon Sanders, head of global television for Amazon Studios, noted the success of Rings of Power and what is still yet to come in Season 2. “Since its premiere, ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ has been bringing audiences together to experience the magic and wonder of J.R.R. Tolkien’s magnificent Middle-earth,” he said. “To date, season one is the top Original series for Prime Video in every region and has been viewed by over 100 million people worldwide, a truly global hit that speaks to the universal nature of powerful storytelling. We welcome these wonderful actors to our ‘fellowship’ and look forward to telling more incredible Second Age stories in season two.”

    Production on Season 2 of The Rings of Power is currently underway. The Rings of Power currently stars Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Ismael Cruz Cordova as Arondir, Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn, Charlie Vickers as Halbrand, Tyroe Muhafidin as Theo, and Markella Kavenagh as Nori Brandyfoot.

    Source: Variety.

  • REVIEW: ‘The Rings of Power’ Finale Plays Like Emotional 3D Chess

    REVIEW: ‘The Rings of Power’ Finale Plays Like Emotional 3D Chess

    Morfydd Clark stands solemnly by a gorgeous river, glaring at an open scroll. Her character, Galadriel, has just realized she’s made a horrible mistake. Always so surefooted, the Elven warrior exudes a guttural disbelief. It’s something so shocking that the audience feels it too, their insides twisting with hers as the literal face of evil steps from around the corner. There begins a sequence with enough impact, it may stand as one of the best scenes television has offered this year. In Alloyed, its season finale, The Rings of Power comes full circle and demands to be lauded. It’s a cerebral thrill ride from beginning to end, one designed for faithful fans of the franchise and newcomers alike.

    Alloyed plays like an emotional game of 3D chess. There are quite a few players on the board, and each one of them is wildly clever. Every time one thinks they might know what’s going to happen next, a different character unveils their hidden scheme and throws the rest of it out of whack. It makes for an insanely entertaining hour, especially for those watching without the aid of knowing extensive lore. Even if one does view the finale with years of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s works under their belt, however, they’ll likely be surprised and delighted by what the finale does with established moments in Lord of the Rings history. Alloyed takes a myriad of concepts and plotlines and spins them together until they’re fit for live-action storytelling. It’s impressively cinematic, and in the end, pretty gosh darn satisfying.

    The performances in the episode are what really bring it all to the next level. As mentioned, Clark has been a revelation all season. The nuance she brings to Galadriel has elevated the character far beyond what fans saw in Peter Jackson‘s film trilogy, and every ounce of energy she’s put into her role is on full display here. Lloyd Owen and Cynthia Addai-Robinson, too, put their best foot forward in a memorable scene as Elendil and the Queen Regent Míriel. Standing together in the belly of their ship, the two actors share a moment so genuine it threatens to become more powerful than all of Middle-earth’s mithril combined. Something similar could be said about Markella Kavenagh‘s little Harfoot, Nori, and Daniel Weyman‘s giant Stranger, who finally get some answers and set the show on a path toward its second season.

    Really, the finale’s greatest achievement is the way it’s able to move The Rings of Power forward. As wonderful of a season as it’s been, the many mysteries surrounding it’s characters and locations often left episodes running in circles and biding their time for eventual payoff. Alloyed is that payoff, and it’s executed beautifully. Now, with true allegiances revealed and a world beginning to take shape, there’s a clear map drawn for what comes next. With everything going on the past few weeks, pacing hasn’t been as much of an issue as it once was, but the seeming promise of Alloyed is that it’s all full steam ahead from this point on. Hopefully, that means the second season will be even more anticipated than the first. Either way, it has one heck of an episode to jump off from.

  • Netflix’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ Pitch Included Buliding an MCU-Inspired Franchise

    Netflix’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ Pitch Included Buliding an MCU-Inspired Franchise

    Amazon has been making quite the splash with its work on Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. While there has been the usual online backlash for any changes or adaptations from the original source material, they have offered something that feels like a blend of J. R. R. Tolkien’s work and Peter Jackson’s iconic film trilogy. As it turns out, it seems that other pitches would’ve taken the franchise in very different directions.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix and HBO have also pitched their takes on how to push the franchise forward. While the Tolkien estate famously has its problems with Jackson‘s adaptations, it seems that Netflix wanted to take a franchise-based approach by building various spinoff series focused on Gandalf and Aragorn.

    While the concept works for comic book-based stories, it unsurprisingly “freaked out the estate” and may have been one of the reasons it was pushed towards Amazon’s pitch of just telling a unique story. Amazon Studios TV co-head believes that they won through their “collective passion and fidelity to Tolkien” but it wasn’t an easy win. HBO also was part of the bidding process and seemingly wanted to just retell the original trilogy with a focus on the Third Age once again.

    The $250M reported budget was seemingly something Netflix initially put out to get their hands on the intellectual property. While they have moved on with other adaptations and their hope to build a Power Rangers-focused franchise, it definitely seems like the bidding process wasn’t an easy one for everyone involved.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘The Rings of Power’ Begins Production on Season 2

    ‘The Rings of Power’ Begins Production on Season 2

    Production on Season 2 of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings series, The Rings of Power, is officially underway. Filming kicked off on Monday at Bray Studios just outside London. While the first season of The Rings of Power was filmed in New Zealand, Season 2 moved to the U.K. because it was deemed more economical. It’s also said that Amazon is seeking to build a multi-show hub in the United Kingdom, which helped to play a role in the decision.

    News that Season 2 is in production comes after it was revealed The Rings of Power topped the streaming charts for its debut week with 1.3 billion collective minutes viewed. Those numbers came directly from Nielsen and were based on two episodes at the time. The first season will air the penultimate episode of its debut season this week. Along with the news that Season 2 is in production, it was revealed that Círdan, one of the oldest and wisest elves, will be joining the series, although the role has not yet been cast.

    The Rings of Power currently stars Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Ismael Cruz Cordova as Arondir, Nazanin Boniadi as Bronwyn, Charlie Vickers as Halbrand, Tyroe Muhafidin as Theo, and Markella Kavenagh as Nori Brandyfoot.

    Source: THR.