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“We are privileged to be in this world of Middle-earth.”

So proclaims The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power VFX supervisor Jason Smith, who adds, “There’s a lot of pressure and excitement. Power comes from that.”

Smith joined director of photography Alex Disenhof, production designer Kristian Milsted, costume designer Luca Mosca, prosthetic designer Barrie Gower, and editor Joel Skinner for our in-depth Making of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power panel. Watch their full discussion above.

The Prime Video series explores J.R.R. Tolkien’s imagined world thousands of years before the events in The Lord of the Rings. The second season chronicles the forging of the rings and rise of the evil Lord Sauron. “Every morning when I get to see yesterday’s filming from Middle-earth, it’s like being a kid again," says Skinner. "I don’t need to take a jug of coffee.

“I knew I had a finite journey to go on,” admits Charles Edwards of his doomed character in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. But the actor was excited to play out the final arc of Celebrimbor, the elven smith from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth novels who forged the titular rings. In a recent interview (full video above), Edwards discusses how the Prime Video series expands on the deeds of this pivotal figure, and allows Edwards to explore a downfall and death worthy of the greatest tragic heroes.

Edwards spends the bulk of Season 2 locked in a deadly dance with Charlie Vickers as Sauron. The Dark Lord appears to Celebrimbor as the ethereal Annatar to convince the prideful elf to craft the rings that will one day oppress Middle-earth. “Charlie is a very relaxed person, a very gentle person, a very intuitive person,” describes Edwards of his scene partner,...

Charlie Vickers didn't see his big twist coming.

“Going into the second season, it was really nice to have a real clear through line and to know exactly where the character was going,” says The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power star. Vickers explains that he shot several episodes of Season 1 without knowing that his character, Halbrand, was actually the dark lord Sauron in disguise. What a relief then, to have all of his cards on the table for Season 2. Vickers joined Gold Derby to discuss his portrayal of the fearsome J.R.R. Tolkien villain (watch the full interview above), including Sauron’s new form called Annatar.

Sauron holds the power to change his appearance, which affords Vickers the opportunity to play two starkly different iterations of the character. Halbrand feels distinctly human, a “low man” who works with his hands. By contrast, Annatar is ethereal, regal, and possesses...

George R.R. Martin is widely recognized for his A Song of Ice and Fire series, the books on which the famed Game of Thrones show was based. As a writer, he also explores the works of his fellow scribes. We already know he loves J.R.R. Tolkien, Gene Wolfe, and Jack Vance, but there’s another one that most fans probably did not know.

When he’s not writing The Winds of Winter, attending events, or meeting with producers, he’s reading Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories, commonly known as The Last Kingdom series. It has a Netflix adaptation that ran for five seasons, with each installment heavily lauded by fans.

George R.R. Martin raves about Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories George R.R. Martin via TIFF Originals / Credits: YouTube

George R.R. Martin has always been very open about his literary influences and the books he enjoys reading.

Only a few actors in cinematic history have commended the screen with the gravitas, presence, and versatility of Christopher Lee. From his iconic portrayal of Dracula to unforgettable roles in The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars franchises, Lee brought a rare intensity and sophistication to every character he inhabited.

His deep voice, towering stature, and undeniable charisma made him a standout in almost every role he took. And it’s no surprise that such a legendary career has also earned him the unusual distinction of holding the record for the most on-screen deaths, a fitting testament to a man who made every role, and every ending, unforgettable.

Christopher Lee’s unusual on-screen record that seems unbreakable

Known for his wide range of performances, Christopher Lee was more than just a prolific actor; he was a towering figure in cinema, both literally and figuratively.

Related: “The biggest mistake I...

Although new episodes are a ways off, Amazon has renewed The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for a third season. That means we'll see more of the adventures of Galadriel, Gandalf, Elrond, and everyone else trying to deal with the rise of Sauron during the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings story most of us know.

If you're at all familiar with The Lord of the Rings, you know that, on the show, aspiring dark lord Sauron has yet to do something that he is very famous for: forge the One Ring, which he uses to try and take over Middle-earth. Charlie Vickers, who plays Sauron, doesn't come right out and say that will happen in season 3, but it certainly sounds like he's hinting at it.

“I’m incredibly lucky that Sauron in this time period is very specific to what he does,...

If there’s anyone who knows what it feels like to receive so much hate and backlash, it’s George R.R. Martin. The famed author of the fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire endured criticism despite not being involved in the last few seasons of Game of Thrones. But he doesn’t let the negative words affect him.

In fact, he’s also criticizing these fans for the unwarranted hate they project towards franchises. Take note, these aren’t just random titles but movies and shows they used to love. According to Martin, he also had his fair share of disappointments with his favorite franchises but never in his life did he ever attack them on social media.

George R.R. Martin couldn’t get why fans hate Rings of Power

Apart from Game of Thrones, one massive franchise that received a solid blow was Prime Video’s Rings of Power.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerhas taken a toll on its actors. Luckily, Charles Edwards has found a way to work through the series' harrowing Season 2 storyline.

Speaking to Deadline, Edwards discussed the events of the series' intense second season and the way they pushed through the dour tone on set. "The storyline this season was tough, but we got through it by having a great sense of fun on set," the actor, who portrayed the Elven smith known as Celebrimbor, who tragically met his end during Season 2, explained. "When we weren’t working - and when we were working too - there was a really friendly, happy atmosphere."

"It was felt by not only us, but everyone who was working on that storyline," Edwards continued. "It was just Charlie and I in that story. It did feel like a bubble from the rest of the show in a way.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is all set to hit the theaters right in the middle of the holiday season. Announced for a pre-Christmas release on December 17, 2027, this new chapter in Middle-earth is perfectly timed to pull you out of your cozy holiday routine and into a world of epic adventure.

As a lifelong fan of the franchise, I can’t help but grin at the thought of history repeating itself, because if you remember, the original Lord of the Rings trilogy also dropped around Christmas, turning December into a magical mix of festive cheer and Middle-earth mayhem. The release will surely shake up Christmas plans for many, but what true fan would miss it even for a second?

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum now has a release date The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | Credit: New Line Cinema...

We wants it. We needs it. But we gotta waits for it.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (working title), the highly anticipated Lotr spin-off film from Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema, will hit theaters in December 2027. Yes, you read that right — moviegoers have to wait two-and-a-half years to see their favorite pale-skinned Middle-earth monster from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world up on the big screen again. Read on for everything to know about the new movie, including information on the cast, release date, and director.

Who's been cast in The Hunt for Gollum?

As of this writing, only Andy Serkis has been announced as starring in the new film. And yes, he's reprising his role as Gollum, a creature who was obsessed with the One Ring (which he called "my precious"). The English actor rose to fame in the early aughts for...

'Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum' will be released on December 17 2027.The spin-off movie of the hit franchise - which is based on the book series by J.R.R. Tolkien - will see Andy Serkis reprise his role as the titular monster, and on Thursday (08.05.25) developers New Line Cinema and Warner Bros announced the official release date.As well as starring, Serkis will take on the role of director, whilst Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens will serve once again as producer on the project.Jackson previously explained that it it made sense to explore Gollum/Sméagol more than the likes of Aragorn (Viggo Mortenson) and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) with the upcoming film. He told Deadline: "The Gollum/Sméagol character has always fascinated me because Gollum reflects the worst of human nature, whilst his Sméagol side is, arguably, quite sympathetic."I think he connects with readers and film audiences alike,...

“How can you not have fun making music for Middle-earth?” asks composer Bear McCreary after performing a piece from the Season 2 score of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power at Deadline’s Sound & Screen Television.

“It’s sort of a limitless palette,” he says. “I work with the biggest orchestra that I’ve ever worked with, but also the biggest choir … the world is so expansive that, as long as I can make it fit into The Lord of the Rings, the showrunners will let me try things out.”

Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel series, Rings of Power is set thousands of years before the events of the books. During a time of relative peace in the Second Age of Middle-earth, the show captures all the major events of the period from the creation of the Rings of Power to the rise of the Dark Lord...

Warner Bros has scheduled the releases of The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum to be directed by and star Andy Serkis,M. Night Shyamalan’s supernatural romantic thriller Remain with Jake Gyllenhaal, and a new Evil Dead film.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum (working title) will open for Warner Bros and New Line on December 17, 2027 and is conceived as the first of two films.

Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens from The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit trilogies are reuniting to produce the two films set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth,...

The Lord of the Rings spin-off movie, The Hunt for Gollum, has now been given a release date by Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. The movie will adapt the appendices of J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" book, and finds the wizard Gandalf the Grey (played by Ian McKellen in the original trilogy and The Hobbit movies) tasking Aragorn (played by Viggo Mortensen in the movies) with hunting down Gollum, who they believe has the One Ring.

After being pushed back earlier this year, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum has now officially been given a release date of December 17, 2027. Meaning that, much like Peter Jackson’s beloved trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will delight audiences in theaters during Christmas, providing delight, terror, and epic fantasy spectacle for the festive season.

According to Deadline, Disney also...

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum now has an official release date, and it continues a franchise trend. Based on the book series by J. R. R. Tolkien, the first live-action Lord of the Rings movie arrived in 2001 with Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Five live-action movies later, Andy Serkis is now set to direct and star in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which is expected to take place during the events of Jackson's first Middle-earth adventure.

Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema now reveal that The Hunt for Gollum will release in theaters on December 17, 2027. The announcement confirms that Serkis will direct and star in the film, with Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens producing. The Hunt for Gollum's script will hail from Walsh, Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou. This new release...

The Middle Earth is about to expand again. In a surprising reveal during today's investor call, Warner Bros. executives decided to announce the release date of the highly anticipated The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum. Details of the project are kept under lock and key, but we do know that, as the title hints, it will center on the fan-favorite character played by Andy Serkis — who also directs the adventure — and takes place during a very specific section within The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The movie is set to premiere on December 17, 2027.

The announcement is aligned to Warner Bros.' investment in its own IPs in order to see their revenue numbers rise again. This year, the production company is at a turning point in its history: it has a ten-year plan led by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy) to resuscitate the DC cinematic universe,...

The wait is over.

Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema revealed Thursday that Andy Serkis’ The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will open in theaters on Dec. 17, 2027. So far, it has the lucrative year-end corridor to itself, but that’s sure to change as other studios fill in their calendars.

Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens — the Oscar-winning team behind the blockbuster The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies — are reuniting to produce two new films from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth for the Warners-owned New Line. Zane Weiner is also producing.

Andy Serkis will both direct Gollum and star in the titular role Walsh and Boyens are penning the screenplay alongside Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. The director of the second film has yet to be announced.

Fans of the Evil Dead franchise also got good news on Thursday. In a twinned announcement, New...

Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema have set a Dec. 17, 2027 theatrical release for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

Currently Disney has an untitled Star Wars movie in Comscore on that that 2027 date, but that probably just hasn’t been scrubbed from the system yet. As we know, Shawn Levy’s Star Wars: Starfighter with Ryan Gosling is dated for May 28, 2027. Universal has an untitled date reservation for Dec. 22, 2027.

That’s the corridor by the way that previous Peter Jackson directed Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies have bowed within. The first of the two films The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (*Wt) will be directed by and star Andy Serkis in the title role.

The Oscar-winning team behind the blockbuster The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies — Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens — is reuniting to produce two...

Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game has revealed that it will ship in a physical edition, and it comes with a great bonus. The cozy game from Wētā Workshop sees players immersed in life in Bywater, a village east of Hobbiton. Tales of the Shire was recently delayed, but will now be offering two different options for those who want a physical copy.

In a trailer from iam8bit on YouTube, the physical edition of Tales of the Shire was revealed, and it comes with a 20" x 16" fold-out map of Bywater, where the game takes place. According to the iam8bit website, the map appears to come as part of the standard retail edition of the game, at seemingly no extra cost, though links to purchase are simply "coming soon" to the listing. Curiously, it seems physical copies are only available for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch,...

Many authors use initials for their names, but nothing quite as interesting as George R.R. Martin and J.R.R. Tolkien. Fans have been wondering where these letter Rs came from and what they mean for the writers.

Of course, there is also the speculation that Martin may have copied it from Tolkien, as he grew up reading fantasy books, especially The Lord of the Rings. While he asserted that his works weren’t directly influenced by Tolkien, he still expressed admiration for the famed English novelist.

George R.R. Martin clarifies once and for all the double R in his name George R.R. Martin in The Late Show with Stephen Colbert / Credits: CBS

George R.R. Martin is very open about his inspirations for writing A Song of Ice and Fire series, the books from which Game of Thrones was adapted. While he revealed that J.R.R. Tolkien’s...

Update, 12:06 Pm: A week before opening statements are set to start in a criminal trial that could see Sean “Diddy’ Combs spending the rest of his high-profile life in prison, picking a jury has moved ahead faster than expected – but not without some twists and turns.

Seven women and four men have made it to the next round of jury selection in the Bad Boy Records founder’s’ sex trafficking and racketeering trial, with four other potential jurors excused and sent home before lunch on the first day of courtroom jury screening. One, a marketing and communications executive at publishing house Simon & Schuster, was let go because the imprint is about to release a memoir by the Grammy-winning R&b musician Al B. Sure!

Sure! is a fierce Combs critic who was married to Kim Porter before they split and she became involved romantically with Combs. Porter died in 2018, and Sure!

George R.R. Martin’s Westeros might be dripping in blood and betrayal, but even he knows one death changed everything. In The Hedge Knight, a seemingly minor supporting character bites the dust, and it quietly rewrote the entire history of the realm. If that moment had gone differently, the ripple effect would’ve shaken up kings, dragons, and entire dynasties.

It’s the kind of “what if” that makes you realize just how obsessed Martin is with the butterfly effect. Forget the throne room drama, this low-key twist in a novella might’ve been one of the biggest plot pivots in Westeros lore.

George R.R. Martin believed Baelor’s death in The Hedge Knight changed everything George R.R. Martin in The Late Show With Stephen Colbert | Credits: CBS

Turns out, one knight’s death in The Hedge Knight nearly flipped the Targaryen timeline on its head at least,...

This article contains spoilers for "Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld."

"Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld" is the latest entry in an animated anthology series composed of mini-episodes that more deeply explore the backgrounds of some of our favorite "Star Wars" characters. Sometimes, it bridges gaps, while at other times, it reveals secrets. The first season, "Tales of the Jedi," provided us with more insight into Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) and Count Dooku (Corey Burton). The second season, "Tales of the Empire," similarly gave us a closer look at Barris Offee (Meredith Salenger) and Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto).

In that same vein, "Tales of the Underworld" brings Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman) and Cad Bane (Burton) into focus. Asajj is a curious character at the moment, as she has had a very interesting gap in her history that hasn't exactly been explained until now. The canonical 2015 novel "Star Wars: Dark Disciple,...

George R.R. Martin has been hailed as one of the finest authors that this generation has ever seen. Known for creating the A Song of Ice and Fire saga, the author has found worldwide fame and critical acclaim for his iconic novels.

However, George R.R. Martin does tend to rub J.R.R. Tolkien fans the wrong way quite often! The author compared the battle scenes from his novels, Bernard Cornwell (the author of The Saxon Stories), and J.R.R. Tolkien. As you might have guessed, we all knew who the winner was going to be during the conversation.

When George R.R. Martin sat down with Bernard Cornwell

Fans know Bernard Cornwell as the author of The Saxon Stories. His novels were converted into the iconic series The Last Kingdom, which brought the author global fame and added one more gem to the Viking stories of old.

Bernard Cornwell...

Jack Nicholson is a legend, no doubt about it. The man could mumble a half-sentence and somehow sound like the smartest guy in the room. But even geniuses have their off days, and when it comes to The Lord of the Rings, I seriously can’t get behind his opinion, which (to me) feels like one of those takes that aged worse than Gollum’s skincare routine.

In a world where Frodo, Gandalf, and the entire Middle-earth saga are basically sacred, Jack’s old-school take just sounds painfully out of touch now. I get it, not everyone has to love hobbits and epic quests. But come on, this is Lord of the Rings we’re talking about.

Jack Nicholson’s Lord of the Rings take? Not quite right Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance in a still from The Shining | Credits: Warner Bros.

Jack Nicholson walked out during The Return of the King...

Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy brought to life the Third Age of Middle-earth in a way that had not been seen before. Jackson's movies were perfectly cast, with actors who perfectly embodied and delivered on characters fished out of J.R.R. Tolkien's lore. One of them was Orlando Bloom, who played the perfect archer, the Elvish prince, Legolas. A panel with original Lord of the Rings cast members was hosted by Screen Rant at AwesomeCon, and with a wave of new spinoff movies based on Middle-earth,withtheupcoming The Hunt For Gollum the first. The question of who returns to the franchise hung thick in the air.

Bloom appeared as Legolas first in The Fellowship of the Ring when his character, as well as a host of others, attended the Council of Elrond at Rivendell. One of the best elven characters in Tolkien's lore, the Prince of Mirkwood,...

In the many millennia since, literature became an avid means of escaping human toil, there have been many stories written and retold. And in the modern age, one can argue that none quite captures the imagination so wholly as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. In the early 2000s, director Peter Jackson adapted Tolkien's tale of the Third Age of Middle-earth, with The Fellowship of the Ring, and the subsequent two films, earning Jackson's trilogy a spot in cinematic folklore. However, that journey is not ended, as May 2024 brought with it the revelation that a new wave of movies from Middle-earth would be descending upon us soon, and Liv Tyler would very much like to be a part of it.

Tolkien's stories offered us a vast array of brilliant Elven characters to adore, and in Jackson's trilogy, Tyler's Arwen stood out. The daughter of Elrond (Hugo Weaving) and Celebrían,...

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This May, Prime Video is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the much-anticipated sequel of A Simple Favor to the release of the raunchy comedy-drama series Overcompensating. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Prime Video this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the 7 best films that are coming to Prime Video in May 2025 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

All Quiet on the Western Front (May 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98% Credit – Universal Pictures

All Quiet on the Western Front is a pre-Code anti-war film directed by Lewis Milestone. Based on the 1929 novel of the same name by German author Erich Maria Remarque, the 1930 film follows a naive soldier who enlists to fight in World War I and soon comes face-to-face with the horror of war,...

The Og "Lord of the Rings" crew has been in the news cycle a lot lately. With Warner Bros. planning new live-action J.R.R. Tolkien film adaptations, everyone is wondering who could show up again after a 20-year hiatus from Middle-earth acting.

You can count Liv Tyler among those ready to jump right back into the action. Tyler is, of course, famous for playing the Elven queen Arwen in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy. While the character has a minor role in Tolkien's source material, Arwen is busy in the movies. She fills in for the Elf-lord Glorfindel by saving Frodo (Elijah Woods) from the Black Riders and encourages Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) to fulfill his destiny and confront Sauron. She was even filmed in various fight sequences, including the Battle of Helm's Deep (although that was later cut during post-production).

Now, Tyler has gone on record saying...

In my opinion, Dune and The Lord of the Rings are both colossal figures in fantasy, but when you dig into their core, they’re as different as night and day. J.R.R. Tolkien had a huge issue with this, and frankly, I do get why. Tolkien crafted The Lord of the Rings with the intention of inspiring hope, redemption, and showing the enduring power of good. It’s a journey where the darkness is always countered by the light, where good triumphs over evil… eventually.

Frank Herbert’s Dune, though, is a harsh, unforgiving world – all about power, corruption, and the inevitable fall from grace. There’s no real promise of salvation, no bright future to look forward to. It’s all about the decay of humanity. This, I think, is what really rubbed Tolkien the wrong way. For him, fantasy wasn’t meant to be this bleak. It was supposed to offer hope,...

Back in February, we learned that The Rings of Power, Prime Video's fabulously expensive Lord of the Rings prequel series, would be returning for a third season. That was good news, since I wasn't sure if Amazon would want to go the distance on this series.

Season 3 is a still a ways off, but star Cynthia Addai-Robinson — who plays Míriel, the deposed queen of the island nation of Númenor — is already talking about it to Hello! Magazine about it...although there isn't much she can say at this early juncture. "For people who are familiar with the lore, Númenor has a tragic fate and so I would want for Míriel to be able to have a sense of her conviction, in between what we've seen so far and where Númenor ends up," she said. "I trust that our showrunners and the creative team are cooking up some interesting things, and for me personally,...

Which Two Hollywood Movies Earned Both Box Office Billions & Oscars Gold?(Photo Credit –Facebook)

Hollywood has always known how to pair art with commerce, but rarely do the two walk hand in hand. Critical acclaim for most Oscar-winning films is wrapped in prestige, not box office milestones. Meanwhile, the world’s biggest blockbusters often lean into spectacle, driven more by fanfare than Academy favor. That’s why the intersection of a critical commercial blockbuster remains incredibly rare.

Winning an Oscar for Best Picture is Hollywood’s highest honor. Grossing over a billion dollars globally is one of its most remarkable financial feats. But doing both? That’s practically mythic territory. While many billion-dollar blockbusters, such as Avatar, Avengers: Endgame, The Dark Knight, and others, have earned nods at the Academy Awards, most have come up short where it counts the most. As of 2025, only two films have ever accomplished both.

On Friday 25 April 2025, BBC Two broadcasts Great British Railway Journeys!

Solihull to Birmingham International Season 16 Episode 15 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “Great British Railway Journeys,” titled “Solihull to Birmingham International,” promises to be an exciting conclusion to Michael Portillo’s Midlands tour. In this episode, viewers will join Portillo as he explores the town of Solihull, known for being the home of the famous Land Rover brand. The episode will highlight the history and significance of this iconic British vehicle, showcasing its impact on the region and the country.

After his visit to Solihull, Portillo will take a trip to a place of great literary importance. The episode will take him to the childhood neighborhood of Jrr Tolkien, the beloved author of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit.” This segment will delve into Tolkien’s early life and the surroundings that inspired his imaginative works. It will...

Which one of the trilogies, The Hobbit Or The Lord Of The Rings slayed the box office?(Photo Credit –Facebook)

Middle-earth is one of the most famous fantasy realms in the world. First brought to life by J.R.R. Tolkien in The Hobbit (1937) and expanded through the epic scope of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (1954–55), these stories laid the foundation for modern fantasy storytelling. The appeal of Tolkien’s world prompted filmmaker Peter Jackson to adapt these monumental works into two separate trilogies, each packed with sweeping battles, iconic portrayals, and an unforgettable soundtrack.

Released between 2001 and 2003, The Lord of the Rings film trilogy became a cinematic landmark, earning critical acclaim and bagging 17 Academy Awards. A decade later, Jackson returned to Middle-earth with The Hobbit prequel trilogy, stretching the slim novel into three action-heavy blockbusters. Both trilogies thrilled fans and filled theatres across the globe, but which one reigned supreme at the box office?...

Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy may be the gold standard for that hallowed fantasy saga, but it isn't the first attempt to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien's famous three-part narrative into a cinematic format. There have actually been quite a few different iterations of that story, some relatively good, some bad, and some downright terrifying.

Among the entries in the Middle-earth annals that fall into that last category is a 1990s gem that came straight out of the Soviet archives. This utterly unique adaptation is titled "Khraniteli" (which translates as "The Keepers" or "The Guardians"). It was produced by Leningrad Television and came out on April 13, 1991, just eight months before the dissolution of the Ussr.

"Khraniteli" was technically released as a children's television program and was considered lost media for decades — until it resurfaced when 5Tv, Leningrad Television's successor, re-released it online for all the world to see in the 2020s.

In the upcoming episode of “Great British Railway Journeys,” titled “Solihull to Birmingham International,” viewers can expect an engaging exploration of the Midlands. This is the final leg of Michael Portillo’s tour in this region, and he has some exciting stops planned. The episode airs at 6:30 Pm on Friday, April 25, 2025, on BBC Two.

Michael begins his journey in Solihull, a town famous for being the home of the iconic British brand, Land Rover. Here, he will delve into the rich history of this beloved vehicle and its significance to British culture. The episode promises to showcase the craftsmanship and innovation that have made Land Rover a symbol of adventure and exploration.

Later, Michael takes a nostalgic turn as he visits the childhood neighborhood of the renowned author J.R.R. Tolkien. This stop offers a glimpse into the early influences that shaped Tolkien’s imagination and storytelling. Fans of his...

Andy Serkis has lined up a leading role in an upcoming animated TV movie. The Lord of the Rings star is the latest cast member added to the upcoming children's special A Lamb’s Stew.

Filmmaker Joeri Christiaen recently premiered an extended teaser for the project at the Cartoon Forum in Toulouse, France, but is now expanding A Lamb’s Stew into a half-hour special. Christiaen is working in collaboration with Julia Smuts Louw (Star Wars: Visions) on the screenplay.

Andy Serkis Lands Leading Role in New Animation Project

The voice cast for A Lamb’s Stew features Serkis as the voice of the Wolf, along with T’Nia Miller (Sex Education) and 11-year-old newcomer Iris Onyejiuwa, according to Variety. The mid-length animation is based around a little lamb named Billie attempting to prove the bravery of her species by luring a wolf into a trap. However, Billie discovers she has...

While Frodo is the most popular Hobbit in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy (based on the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien), fans are slowly coming to realize that Samwise Gamgee was the true hero of the story. Just as Frodo and Sam embarked on a perilous journey to Mount Doom, Sean Astin (who played Samwise in all three movies) recently revealed he had his own internal struggle during the film's production, one which led him to panic attacks.

Sean Astin recently reunited with his former Lord of the RIngs co-stars, Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, John Rhys-Davies, and Andy Serkis, at C2E2 in Chicago. During the panel, the actor opened up about the emotional struggles he faced during the trilogy's lengthy production. "I remember at one point, most movies, even a big movie they used to be like 3 months or 4 months," Astin began. "When we got to 5 months,...

The Lord of the Rings is arguably one of the greatest works ever written, and when director Peter Jackson decided to transform the written words of J.R.R. Tolkien into an on-screen adaptation, the trilogy he created went on to live up to the legacy of the novels. The trilogy created by Jackson was a compilation of brilliant performances from several actors, including Andy Serkis, who plays Gollum/Smeagol. The character first appeared in The Fellowship of the Ring, and bringing the corrupted hobbit to life meant a reliance on motion capture, which was not entirely mainstream at that point.

A recent Lord of the Rings reunion panel at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo meant several of the trilogy's stars reminisced on making the Oscar-winning films. Per PopVerse, Serkis revealed the reaction the cast, crew, and Jackson had when they first encountered his portrayal of Gollum/Smeagol on set. "These guys...

Merry and Pippin are some of the best characters in The Lord of the Rings, so it is no surprise that Billy Boydand Dominic Monaghanare fan-favorites among the cast. Now, with their new show, Billy and Dom Eat the World, we get to see them doing what Merry and Pippin do best: Eating. In preparation for the show's release, Boyd and Monaghan sat down with Collider's Michael Zimmermann to talk about the series, and if you loved these two Hobbits who loved little more than getting a pint with the fellowship, then you're in for a treat!

During the interview, Zimmerman asked why they were so passionate about the project, and Boyd pointed out that it is a great way to interact with others. He told Collider:

"I think it’s a great way of meeting people and looking at people’s passions is through food. Why does someone open a restaurant,...

In the 2010s, the biggest show on TV was Game of Thrones, HBO's adaptation of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books. The show was like The Lord of the Rings, because it was a tale of epic conflict in a medieval mileu. Only it wasn't like The Lord of the Rings at all, because the characters spent more time fighting each other than they did otherworldly forces of evil. The cast was way bigger, the story more sprawling, and everyone spent a lot more time naked.

Also there weren't any elves. Anyway, Game of Thrones was a monster hit, and other studios took notice. Netflix was the first to get their competitor out there: in 2019, the same year that Game of Thrones ended, it debuted The Witcher, a high fantasy series based on a series of books by Andrzej Sapkowski. Amazon Prime Video went hard...

Before it was a bladder-testing, critically-acclaimed movie franchise — and even before it was a creepy-as-Hell Finnish TV show — author J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic The Lord of the Rings series was adapted as a 1978 animated feature by Ralph Bakshi, the legendary director who helmed Fritz the Cat, Wizards, and the horniest ‘90s movie to ever get a Nintendo game tie-in for children.

Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings, which only covers the first half of the full story, is a visually arresting, highly influential film. Interestingly, as Bleeding Cool pointed out, the famed animator recently took to social media to share a side-by-side comparison of a scene from his movie and one from South Park’s 2002 Lord of the Rings parody.

South Park’s “The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers” from Season Six found Cartman taking on the role of Gandalf for a Lord of the Rings...

More than 20 years have passed since we last saw the Fellowship of the Ring and Frodo make their epic journey to destroy the One Ring in Middle-earth. However, it appears that the original cast of The Lord of the Rings franchise is ready to go back to Middle-earth. At least, Arwen, Samwise, Legolas and Gimli could be the ones returning in the future, as their performers didn't say no when approached with the idea of reprising their roles in a future movie of Peter Jackson's epic fantasy universe.

Original cast members Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies appeared at an AwesomeCon panel to talk about their legacy in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. Hosted by Screen Rant, the panel included asking them whether they could return for another movie in the franchise. The Hunt for Gollum is reportedly in development, and it could be...

George R.R. Martin’s fantasy novel series spawned HBO’s global phenomenon Game of Thrones, changing TV filmmaking and storytelling for a long time. Despite its dicey final season (and series finale), the show was extremely popular and was a pop cultural event during its run, commanding high budgets and movie-level filmmaking.

However, the show was not always this expensive. While its pilot budget was more than traditional shows (since it was a period fantasy), there were many compromises made to factor in the budget, resulting in some truly extravagant sequences in the novels being reduced. Martin spoke of one such instance, which resulted in his least favorite scene.

George R.R. Martin | Credits: YouTube/New Mexico in Focus George R. R. Martin’s least favorite scene in Game of Thrones was the result of budget constraints

George R.R. Martin crafted the incredible world of Westeros, filled with kingdoms,...

Orlando Bloom wants to return to ‘The Lord of the Rings’.The 48-year-old actor portrayed the elf Legolas from 2001’s ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ until ‘The Return of the King’ in 2003 - and then again in ‘The Hobbit’ trilogy - and has now teased he would want to reprise the role if series director Peter Jackson ever asked him to.Speaking on a panel at AwesomeCon, Bloom said: "I always think that if Pete says, ‘Jump’, I say, ‘How high?’"It's funny because I think the elves go through so much of this world so many times because they're ageless. I was in ‘The Hobbit’, and it was really interesting revisiting the world. It was so different from ‘Rings’ as an experience. "It was a beautiful time, but this idea of kind of going back is like ... ‘Absolutely, who wouldn't want to go back to that place?’"Even so,...

It will be a while before fans get a chance to discover the new Universal Studios theme park, but as the project starts to take shape, some exciting possibilities are starting to emerge. This week, BBC reported that the construction of the UK project in Bedfordshire is eyeing franchises like 007, Paddington and The Lord of the Rings to populate the park. However, construction is only set to begin next year if planning permissions are granted.

According to the BBC source, however, the deal has already been established, and it is "unlikely" that plans will change as the project moves on. The source went on to say that the team responsible for projecting the new Universal theme park is in the final stages and only making tweaks to The Lord of the Rings section. In any case, since it looks like the park will celebrate pop culture icons that hail from the United Kingdom,...

The Lord of the Rings trilogy, with its first movie, 2001’s The Fellowship of the Rings, catapulted Orlando Bloom to superstar status, but the actor recalls feeling somewhat overwhelmed when he was cast in the Peter Jackson films. The actor, who played Legolas in the trilogy, would also reprise his role as the elf in 2013’s The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaugand 2014’s The Battle of the Five Armies.

Per People, Bloom, appearing on a Lord of the Rings panel at Awesome Con in Washington, D.C., opened up about how it felt working on the iconic films. “For me, as a young actor, I remember sitting there coming out of drama school with all of these legends,” Bloom said. “And thinking, ‘What am I doing here? How did this happen? This is unbelievable.’”

The Lord of the Rings was Bloom’s First Film

Bloom continued, “It was a feeling of excitement.

James Bond has been an icon of Hollywood for several decades, and through countless actors and directors coming its way, the franchise has managed to remain one of the best out there.

It seems that the next director stepping in to helm James Bond’s next flick is iconic director Alfonso Cuarón. If Cuarón is indeed directing the next James Bond movie, he could take the character in a new direction never seen before.

Daniel Craig in a still from Skyfall | Credits: Eon Productions Alfonso Cuarón is rumored to direct the next James Bond movie

Alfonso Cuarón is known for his intense and gritty films, which are often set in such realism that even the futuristic settings feel real. The Mexican filmmaker is the proud director of movies like Gravity, Roma, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Alfonso Cuarón | Credit: Gage Skidmore, licensed under Cc By-sa 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Well,...

We've come to the end of Fandom Madness! Sixty-four characters from the worlds of sci-fi and fantasy stepped into the ring at the beginning of this tournament. Five rounds later, only two remain: Moiraine from The Wheel of Time and Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings.

Who will win? That's up to you! Check out our final bracket and vote in the last poll below:

Moiraine (The Wheel of Time) vs Gandalf (The Lord of the Rings)

— Winter is Coming (@WiCnet) April 7, 2025

Gandalf, of course, is the stern, kindly wizard from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings books, played by Ian McKellen in Peter Jackson's movies. He comes to the Shire and sets Frodo and friends off on a quest that will change the fate of Middle-earth.

Funnily enough, Moiraine Damodred is somewhat inspired by Gandalf. She's also a wizard of sorts: an Aes Sedai sorceress...

Phineas and Ferb are officially getting another 104 days of summer vacation on the Disney Channel, and Vincent Martella has some ideas for how the brothers can spend that time. A trailer was recently released for the upcoming animated revival from Dan Povenmire and Jeff Marsh that teased a back-to-basics approach for the series, featuring plenty of schemes with the dynamic duo and secret missions with Perry the Platypus. With the series soon getting a new lease on life, though, the voice of the titular Phineas sat down with Collider's Aidan Kelley to discuss it all, including his desire for another crossover with a pop-culture giant. Specifically, he wants the brothers, their friends, and even the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz to take a simple walk into Mordor.

Throughout their four-season run from 2007 through 2015, Phineas and Ferbsolidified themselves as Disney Channel icons to the point that they enjoyed crossovers with other shows on the network,...