As reported by , the next journey to Middle-earth – both starring and directed by Gollum actor Andy Serkis – will drop on December 17, 2027. That mirro﷽rs both Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, which both released in the holiday season.

Little is known about Hunt for Gollum so far, other than it filling in the off-screen, Smeagol-centric gaps between Frodo settinꦅg off after Bilbo's party at the outset of The Fellowship of the Ring and the Fellowship then arriving at the Mines of Moria🧜.

"It’s a specific chunk of incredible untold story, told through the perspective of th🐈is incredible creature," Lord of the Rings write🍬r Philippa Boyens previously told .

Legacy Lord of the Rings actors have also 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:spoken candidly about potentially returning for The Hunt for Gollum, with Gandalf's Sir Ian McKellen saying he would "love" to go back – but needed to see a scrip𒉰t first.

"I woulꩵd love to go back. I would love to go back to New Zealand, number one. I also don't like the idea 🎀of anyone else playing [Gandalf]," McKellen said during an appearance on .

Similarly, Aragon actor Viggo Mortensen 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:would also be open to a comeback – but only if it was right for his character.

"I would only do it if I was right for it in terms of, you🌠 know, the age I am now and so forth. I would only do it if I was right for the character. It would be silly to do it otherwise," Mortensen told .

Hinting at what's to come upon the initial announcement, Peter Jackson – who is producing The Hunt for Gollum – teased to :ܫ "We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn’t have time to cover in the earlier films. It’s too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take our lead from Professor Tolkien."

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set for release on December 17, 2027, with 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历🃏史查询:more Lord of the Rings films planned.

For more, check out our guide to 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:movie release dates.

However, before we get too excited, you probably have a ton of questions about the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming movie. For example, you could be wondering how Warner Bros plans to turn Tolkien's appendices into a whole film. You could be curious to know if the original Lord of the Rings cast is onboard the project. Or, you may be wondering if the flick will stick to Tolkien's canon…unlike some of the other Lord of the Rings properties currently available (looking at you, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Rings of Power season 3 production).

Well, that's where we come in! Below, we've gathered all the intel that you need to know about starting your long journey back to Middle-earth. From The Hunt for Gollum release date, plot, cast, and more, we've got 😼so much information here that even Sauron's spies would be impressed by our efforts. So read on, fellow adventurers!

The Hunt for Gollum release date

The Hunt for Gollum release date has been revealed as December 17, 2027. This news was announced by Warner Bros on May 8, 2025, and we couldn't be more excited. Initially, the film was planned for a December 2026 release window. However, it was revealed dur🔯ing the Fan Expo Vancouver 2025 event (via ) that the movie had been pu๊shed back to 2027.

Considering how the movie was only announced in 2024, this timeline does make sense as fantasy movies need time in post-production as well to truly cook. Hopefully, the additional time will result in one of the澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: best fantasy movies of the year!

What is The Hunt for Gollum plot?

While we don't know how the Hunt for Gollum will expand on Tolkien's work (a terrifying thought), we do know that it's based on the appendices of Tolkien's novel. It will take place primarily 17 years after Bilbo's birthday, when he handed over the One Ring to Frodo. Although P💫eter Jackson's films didn't really show off the lengthy timeline before Frodo left for Rivendell, the events of the movie take place before our main hobbits even leave the Shire.

Basically, worried about the nefarious nature of Frodo's "magic ring," Gandalf is concerned that Gollum would be ♉captured and subsequently reveal information about what he suspects is the One Ring to Sauron's dark forces. In order to try and get to Gollum before Sauron, Gandalf reaches out to Aragorn and asks him to make use of his ranger skills to track the wretched creature down before it's too late.

This results in Aragorn and 🐻Gandalf teaming up periodically to search for Gollum together (often resulting in cold trails). Unfortunately, if you've seen or read The Lord of the Rings, you know that Gollum ventured into Mordor and was captured. Gandalf went to dive into researching the One Ring some more to confirm his suspicions, while Aragorn continued the hunt for Gollum, and Gollum continued to be tortured by Sauron in the meantime.

Eventually, Sauron released Gollum after getting all he could out of him, and poor Gollum got himself captured by Araꦡgorn shortly after his newfound freedom. The pair travels for around 50 days, avoiding the enemy when they can, as Aragorn ventures to a safe place to imprison Gollum for interrogation later. Gandalf does get to question Gollum, where he gets further 🐻confirmation that Frodo's ring is none other than the One Ring belonging to Sauron.

This led to a sense of urgency and fully kicked off the action that we see in Fellowship as Gandalf returned to the Shire to inform Frodo on his next steps, the Ring🔥wraiths entered the Shire, and a bunch of Orcs allowed Gollum to escape his prison.

There is a lot to go through in terms of the upcoming movie's plot here, but a lot of it involves time skips and simple travel without much confrontation. So we expect the Hunt for Gollum movie to make some changes. There was a fan-made Hunt for Gollum movie that was released back in 2009. This film featured an original story, though, using Tolkien's work as a jumping-off point. So it'll be interesting to see if W🐻arner Bros takes a similar route here.

Where does The Hunt for Gollum fit in the Lord of the Rings timeline?

The Hunt for Gollum technically starts as far back as TA 2944, only a few years after Bilbo's quest in The Hobbit, where Gandalf wished to know how Gollum got the ri♓ng in the first place. The Hunt picks up again in TA 3001 after Bilbo's 111th birthday party, where Gandalf's suspicions about the ring heat up to a fever pitch. The Hunt for Gollum then concludes in TA 3018. This is also the year when Frodo and his friends start their journey to Rivendell.

Currently, it's unclear what timeline the upcoming movie will present. The main action of The Hunt for Gollum 🐼spans over 17 years. So we are curious to see how Jackson and his team plan to adapꦕt Tolkien's work to fit into a film. Stay tuned for updates!

The Hunt for Gollum cast

Currentl💜y, the only confirmed cast member for The Hunt for Gollum is Gollum himself, with Andy Serkis on board to ♔reprise his role from the Peter Jackson movies.

Fans are dying to know if Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen will also be reprising their roles of Gandalf and Araꦅgorn, respectively. However, neither actors were reached out to before the movie was revealed in 2024, causing many to raise their eyebrows.

McKellen has stated that he's keen to return as Gandalf during an interview with , and Mortensen told that he hasn't received a script. This may just be the two hiding their involvement for a big gotcha reveal. However, it could also mean that Warner Bros has recast the characters. If that i🍌s the case, I, like many others, will probably scream in despair at that news. We'll keep you posted as more news heads our way.

Is there a The Hunt for Gollum trailer?

Currently, there is no trailer for the Hunt forౠ Gollum. However, since we now have a release date, we'll likely see a teaser soon. Our money is that the first t𒀰railer will drop during San Diego Comic-Con in July this year.

While we wait for the trailer, you can watch the 2009 fan-made movie, , now on YouTube. Or if you want to dive into a Middle-earth refresher, you can also read our guide on how to watch all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Lord of the Rings movies in order as well.

For more Tolkien fun check out our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Lord of the Rings games to play today.

"The details in this trilogy never cease to amaze m꧑e: there's a quarry next to Isildur statue in the Argonath!" said one fan on Reddit, accompanied by a picture of the quarry besides the statue.

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"Yes, and those parts of th🎀e statues that are above the height of the cliff-face were visibly mad൩e with bricks," .

"Just shows the amount of thought, love, and imagination that so many people put into these 🐻film💙s. I hope we get to see their like again some day" .

"Wēta Workshops world building is unmatched," .

"The concept behind them is that they're 🐷carved out of the cliff faces of the river, but we theorized that probably there wasn't the necessary rock to be able to carve the whole figure," explained Richard Taylor, Weta Workshop Creative Supervisor, in a for the movie.

"So what we're saying is that they were able to carve to about this level [below the arm]🌳, but then had to construct this massive quarry to mine the rock, lifting with massive gantries and lifting equipment, up onto the upper surfaces of these huge, 300 foot tall sculptures, to place and place these huge granite blocks into which they could continue to carve and create the final look of the characters," he continued.

You can return to Middle-earth with 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Rings of Power season 3, which will beꦅ headed to Prime Video𒆙 sometime soon – though there's no release window just yet.

In the meantime, check out our guide to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best shows on Prime Video to fill out your watchlist.

The news was confirmed in announcing its February 2025 programming slate. Although The War of Rohirrirm is not listed on ’s 'What's new on Max' list, the movie is featured towards the end of the video. An exact date is yet to be revealed. Ch🀅eck out the video below.

The War of Rohirrim will fit quite nicely in Max’s streaming catalog, as the service already hosts Peter Jackson’s trilogy, as well as the prequel The Hobbit movies, and the 1978 animated Lord of the Rings film by R🔥alph Bakshi. However, the live-action The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series can only be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

Based on the iconic novels by J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is set 183 years before the events of Jackson’s trilogy and follows Helm Hammerhand's daughter Héra as she leads a resistance against a deadly enemy. The movie stars Brian Cox and Gaia Wise and is directed by Kenji Kami🅠yama.

The War of Rohirrim will hit Max in February alongside other exciting titles including The White Lotus season 3, Waitress: The Musical, Elevation, and A24’🍌s We Live in Time. A UK streaming date for the LOTR anime movie is yet to be revealed.

Before you stream The War of Rohirrim, make sure to read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Lord of the Rings🐠: The War of Rohirrim review first. For more, see our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best fantasy movies, or keep up with 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming movies heading your way.

"I can’t watch my own films. I mean, one day… I sort of enjoy it more as more time goes by, so one day I’ll watch them againꦺ," he told . But that doesn't mean he doesn'🅺t have a favorite. "The Two Towers, I think. But if I see them again I might have a totally different one."

The Return of the Ki꧂ng, the final installment in the original trilogy, is the most common answer to that question, so Jackson is somewhat bucking the trend with The Two Towers. The second movie, released in 2002, continues the story of The Fellowship of the Ring as Frodo, Sam, and Gollum make their way towards Mordor, Merry and Pippin help plan an attack on Saruman's fortress at Isengard, a🍌nd Aragorn and co. are reunited with Gandalf.

The latest big-screen installment in the franchise, which saw Jackson on board as an executive producer, was The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which hit theaters in December 2024. Directed by Kenji Kamiy𓄧ama, the anime movie follows the king of Rohan and his family as they defend their kingdom against a Dunlending army and features an English-language voice cast including Brian Cox, Luke Pasqualino, and Miranda Otto.

We're next set to return to Middle-earth with Amazon's The Lord of the൲ Rings: The Rings of Power season 3, which is due to begin filming later this year but doesn't have a release date yet. While we wait, check out our guide to the other 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best shows on Amazon Prime Video to add to your watchlist.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which opened on December 13, will be available on participating digital plat🌸forms including Amazon Prime Video on December 27 (H/T ൩), just 14 days after it hit the big screen.

However, it is important to note that just because the movie is heading to digital, doesn't mean it will stop playing at movie theatres completely. Similarly, Red One hit Prime Viꦰdeo this month, but continues to show theatrically.

Set 183 years before the events of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, The War of Rohirrim follows Héra, the daughter of the King o⛎f Rohan Helm Hammerhand, as she attempts to save her kingdom from the dark Dunlending lord. The film is directed by Kenji Kamiyama and stars voice actors Gaia Wise, Brian Cox, and The Lord of The Rings’ Miranda Otto.

The anime flick has so far stirred up $15.3 million at the worldwide box office, compared to the film’s estimated budget 😼of $30 million. That sum seems pretty small when compared the $6 billion ra♛ised by the six Lord of the Rings live action movie series, starting with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and ending with The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

However, more live action adventure awaits as two new Lord of the Rings movies are on the way from Warner Brothers. The first, titled 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, welcomes back Smeagol star Andy Serkis who will both lead and direct the movie, while Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens pen the script. The Gollum♛ flick is estimated to r♛elease in 2026.

As for The War of Rohirrim, the good news is that the digital ♕version includes a bunch of special content; Return to Helm’s Deep: History Becomes Legend, Middl🍷e-earth and Anime: A Marriage of Creativity, and Héra: A New Hero for Middle-earth.

For more, see our The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim review, or keep up with 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming movies.

The Succession actor lends his voice to Helm Hammerhead, a former King of Rohan in the anime prequel that is set 183 years p𝔍rior to the events of Peter Jackson's The Lord﷽ of the Rings.

Drawn from the appendices of Tolkien's books, the film sees Wulf (Luke Pasqualino) take vengeance on the line of Rohan after the princess Héra refuses his hand in marriage, with King Helm then killiဣng his father in one swift punch.

In a recent ♐interview with GamesRadar+, Cox admitted that he had been somewhat "avoiding" T☂olkien even though he was once "up for" a role in the live-action trilogy back in the early 2000s.

"Somehow I've avoided or been avoiding it," Cox said about The ꧒Lord of the Rings and Tolkien's extensive work. "I don't know, I think every other British actor I know is in Lord of the Rings, but that's nothing unusual for me. I think it happened in one other thing I did as well. I think it's my background, probably."

"I think there was one role that I was up for," he remi🔯niscences about the original trilogy, "but I can't remember wha🌃t it was."

After finishing work on this movie, Cox ha🔯s "of course" read all the books and The Hobbit, as well as dived into Jackson's films. Yet, it was appealing to him to come into the project with f🙈resh eyes, rather than know the weight of Helm's legacy in Middle-earth from the beginning.

"Sometimes it helps just not to know thꦕe legacy," he says. "So, you come out with a fresh vision. You come at it from your point of view rather than some perceived point of view and I think there's an adva🍸ntage in that."

Now that he’s familiar with Tolkien, Cox would be keen to return to Th♍e Lord of the Rings either for another animated or 💞live-action project. "Yeah, if the part is good," he says about the possibility of a live action return adding "and if I’m fit enough!"

"[Ian] McKellen is an old pal𒐪 of mine. He found it great. He loved it. He's a huge, huge fan of those films [The Lord of the Rings], but he did find 🐼it physically demanding."

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim arrives in theaters worldwide on December 13. For more, check out our The Lord of th🃏e Ring𝄹s: The War of the Rohirrim review, as well as how 🔥to watch The Lord of the Rings movies and shows🐓 in order.

The actress is at the forefront of the latest anime feature, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:𒆙The Lord of🌊 the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien'🍎s appendices about the history of Middle-earth.

Set 183 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, the film follows the previously unnamed daughter of a legendary King of Rohan, Helm༒ Hammerhead (voiced💫 by Brian Cox).

Héra (Wise) declines her childhood friend Wulf's (Luke Pasqualino) hand in marriage, before her hot-headed father gets into a f🌃ight with his dad,🌊 the leader of the Dunlendings, killing him in one swift punch. Consumed by revenge, Wulf (Luke Pasqualino) sets out to destroy the line of Rohan and claim the crown for himself.

Though this is a new ani🍰me story, there are plenty of nods to the live-action films. And they are so exciting, Wise admits that she "squealed" when she read the script, spotting the final Easter egg at the end of the film (which we won't spoil here of course).

In an interview with GamesRadar+, Wise says: "The Easter eggs were mad! I remember when I read some bits and I was like, 'I recognize that, I get tꩵo say it or I get to act it' It was insanely exciting. Then when I read the en💧d of the film, I audibly squealed!" she teased, "When I saw it, I went like that (gasps)."

Her co-star Laurence Ubong-Williams, who plays her 🐻cousin Fréaláf in the film, says they are "forever at the disposal" of the f💛ranchise for future live-action spin-offs or anime sequels.

When asked if she'd return for another outing, Wise says it would "make me the happiest" and added: "Is the Pope Catholic? Yeah! There's so many directions that a sequel could go in following so many different paths that I think it wo⛎uld be silly not to! If we were given the opportunity and allowed, then I can't think of anything in a professional capacity that would make me any happier."

Wise was also thrilled to see that H♏éra’s relationship with Olwynn (Lorraine Ashbourne) was an integral part of the script, after the lack of femal🐼e interaction in The Lord of the Rings trilogy ("It does not pass the Bechdel test!").

💟"It made me 🌃really happy that we're finally telling the stories of especially the Shield Maidens, because they float around in the trilogy, but they are so important to the lore," she adds.

"It also made me excited because there will hopefully be ꦑa generation of young girls who get to see this film and feel like they are s🙈een and heard and empowered by it."

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim arrives in theaters worldwide on December 13. For more, check out our The Loꦚrd of the Rings: The War o♛f the Rohirrim review, as well as how to w♏atch The L♑ord of the Rings movies and shows in order.

Now, after a decade away from the big screen, Middle-earth has returned to theaters with the anime epic 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Lord of the Rings: The War of th♈e Rohirrim.

Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, the film is inspired by a brief story in Tolkien's appendices about the former King of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand, and hisꩵ two sons and unnamed daughter, who becomes Héra in the film.

Despite being set 183 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, ꦬthe animated feature features more than one link to the live-action films as director Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens, who worked on all six films, both return as producers.

In a new interview with GamesRadar+, Boyens addressed the "rumoured rivalry" between the Amazon Prime Video series and the creative team behind the original live-action films, this new animated feature, and the upcoming spin-off, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Hunt for Gollum.

"I have this belief and I hope it's 🙈true that in terms of The Rings of Power, I think being able to expand upon the world is only a good thing," Boyens says.

"I particularly love that particular piece of Middle-earth history. Some 🥀people seem to think there is a rivalry or conflict between the projects, but there is absolutely not and I don't believe there is from their part either. They should complement each other. Let's have more Tolkien, can you ever have too much?"

For their initial r🍬eturn to Middle-earth, Boyens thought animation was🎀 the "perfect" medium to introduce these new characters, as opposed to centring the spin-off on an existing character from the live-action movies.

"We knew that we wanted it to be a standalone story to be able to introduce new characters to the audience," she says. "We wanted the world of Middle-earth, as we know it, to be there on the periphery, but not to be driving the story - it wasn't being driven by the Dark Lord or the Ring. We also k💎new that we didn't necessarily want to anchor it in one of the characters from the live-action movies, not yet, anyway."

Instead, the central focus is the "wild" and rebellious warrior princess Héra (Gaia Wise), who Boyens insists was the "natural" lead for the story. "I think some people think we deliberately set out to have a lead female character, but when you aske🌜d, why not one of the sons? Did you see what happened to those boys? It becomes self-evident," she continues.

"They’re interesting characters and beautifully voi🥀ced by our actors in the story, but really fated characters. When you look♏ at what's at the beginning and the heart of this conflict, it is actually that unnamed daughter."

As every decision is made for H💎éra in her life, including whether she can fight for her people, who she can marry, where she can travel, Boyens wanted to explore how she felt about this complete lack of agency.

"If you start to add other layers on thᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚat, such as, what if the boy who's stepping forward seeking her hand is her friend, her childhood friend? So many things become destroyed along the way," she adds.

"As soon as you start delving into that, you follow the natural threads of the story, which is the wreckage of war. Who is left st🎃anding through these incredible events that play out? So, the story itself began to tell us who was going to be the most interesting character to view this story through."

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim arrives in theaters worldwide on December 13. For more, check out our Th😼e Lord of the Rings: The Wa🍎r of the Rohirrim review, as well as how to watch The Lord of ꦓthe✃ Rings movies and shows in order.

The War of the Rohirrim currently sits at , while The Hobbit: The Battle 🍸of the Five Armies scored 59%. The Desolation of Smaug is at 74%, with An Unexpected Journey at 64%. The three original Lord of the Rings movies all have scores in the nineties.

Our own 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The War of the Rohirrim review is just 2.5 stars, with our reviewer writing: "What could have been an exciting experiment in telling a new tale in a beloved universe in a very different way feels heavily compromised. Kenji Kamiyama and his fellow anime veterans have produced great work before, but this uninspired expansion of the most iconic🌳 screen take on Tolkien doesn't allow anyone to show off what they can do best."

The film is a prequel that tells the story of Helm Hammerhand, who was a King of Rohan – and the namesake of H💟elm's Deep, as seen in The Two Towers.

Elsewhere in Tolkien adaptations, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Rings of Power season 2 was recently named GamesRadar+'s 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best TV show of 2024. You can read our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:ex𒉰clusive interview with the showrunners through the link for a deep dive on the second season and even a tease about 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Rings of Power season 3.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim arrives in theaters on December 13, 2024. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming movies left 🥃of this year and beyond to fill out💙 your watchlist.

It's a two-hour-plus feature given a wide theatrical release across the globe, conceived to fit within the continuity of Peter Jackson's live-action Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films (he's an executive producer on this), and directed by the prolific anime veteran Kenji Kamiya🦂ma (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), with various major Japanese animation houses credited as contributors to the project. But despite all its impressive credentials, this hopeful blockbuster sadly proves to be one of the more uninspired examples of an English-language property being given an anime makeover.

Although The War of the Rohirrim contains a new musical score from Stephen Gallagher, the familiar notes of Howard Shore's piece 'One Ring to Rule Them All' are among the first things we hear in the opening stage-setting of this new film, as the same🅺 title card font used for Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy returns to firmly place this movie in that specific universe – i♉f you're more keen on The Rings of Power series, you may still find things to enjoy in this very different prequel to J. R. R. Tolkien's mainline novels. Also returning from the Jacksonverse is Mirando Otto as Éowyn, narrating proceedings as though the film's story is something she's telling to her children.

Back in time

Set nearly 200 years before the events of Jackson's first Middle-earth trilogy, The War of the Rohirrim presents us with Helm Hammerhand (voiced by Brian Cox), a king of Rohan whose name became legend. But the first person we're introduced to is Héra (Gaia Wise), the adult daughter of Helm, whose name, Éowyn tells us, was not passed down in historical records in the same way. A free spirit often found wandering the wilderness, Héra is close with Olwyn (Lorr🏅aine Ashbourne), one of the last of the shieldmaidens of lore, and has no interest in plans for marriage that are not born out of love. If you have thought of Princess Merida from Pixar's Brave while reading this, Héra is very much in that character template, and possibly not coincidentally also host to long red hair.

A suitor for Héra is what sparks the film's main conflict, as Dunlending lord Freca (Shaun Dooley) attempts a political maneuver with Helm by proposing that Héra marry his son, Wulf (Luca Pasqualino), a former childhood friend of Héra with whom she would secretly train in sword fighting as a young girl. Things go awry during the tense meeting between the fathers, and following a tragic misjudgement, Wulf has vengeance and the seizing of power set firmly in his sights.

As the ruthless young lord gains dangerous allies and sets up base at Isengard, Helm, his sons Hama (Yazdan Qafouri) and Haleth (Benjamin Wainwright), and his nephew Fréaláf (Laurence Ubong Williams) face additional challenges within their inner circle. Héra, meanwhile, must summon the will to lead as a shieldmaiden, as their deadly enemy forces the people of Rohan to take shelter in the stronghol🍃d of the Hornburg, a mighty fortress destined to be renamed and revisited for꧒ another siege in The Two Towers.

Fantasy lite

The War of the Rohirrim is an interesting case where a film's potential strengths directly feed into its failings. On the one hand, it's refreshing to get an ostensibly smaller-scale tale set in this universe, where the main antagonist is just a human rather than a magic-user or mythical creature. On the other hand, that this entry in a fantasy series is r✅elatively light on fantastical elements – bar a few single-scene appearances of orcs and monsters, and one plot thread with a wraith – doesn't help to disguise the lack of flavor to this lethargically-paced story. The assembled voice cast gives it their all, but none of these characters pop in a memorable way like even some of the supporting Rohirrim players from Jackson's films – shout out to Gamling in The Two Towers and The Return of the King.

When it comes to the animation itself, there's a sense that design restrictions have been enforced, based on this film serving as a prequel to a set of hugely popular, undeniably iconic blockbusters. There is a recognizable anime flourish in the faces (though not too extreme), but perhaps so as not to alienate fans of Jackson's live-action films who aren't well-versed in anime, character models are otherwise designed to be as boilerplate as possible, with the humans often moving with a distractingly mechanical stiffness.

The few creatures on displayꦑ fare a little better, with one memorable set piece involving an elephant-like mûmak in the woods being a rare moment where the film comes alive. But the spectacle potential for Tolkien filtered through an anime lens feels wasted, especially when compared to how wild and inventive the contributors to Star Wars: Visions get to make things.

Elsewhere, empty nods to later events – including Mordor orcs looking for rings – grate, while the dramatic way that the title 'Helm's Deep' is delivered hammers that this tale really is little more than an origin story for the name of a location in a much better movie. And one particular voice cameo from a deceased actor jars. Thankfully, their limited dialogue was reportedly pulled from archival material rather than digital resurrection through the dark magic of generative AI (if you doꦡn't mind spoilers, you can learn more here). But going to that well for ultimately superfluous ends only adds to this film's imbalance between honꦅoring the past and forging a distinctive identity of its own.

The Lord of the R🍌ings: The War of the Rohirrim is out in UK cinemas and US theaters 👍on December 13.

For more, check out our guide to how ✤to watch the Lord of the Rings movies in order.

The anime movie is a prequel that tells ✨the story of Helm Hammerhand, who was a King of Rohan – and♏ the namesake of Helm's Deep.

"The War of the Rohirrim is a ROARING return to Middle-earth with gorgeous animation that wonderfully weaves Peter Jackson’s cinematic vision through the artistry of anime. This is The Lord of the Rings like we’ve never seen before. Overly long but ဣfeels so good to be back," says The Movie Podcast co-host , while co-host says: "The War of Rohirrim is BREATHTAKING on the big screen. Kenji Kamiyama directs with cinematic scope, delivering thrilling battles and striking designs. Where it falls short is in its story, which fails to impress or deliver memorable characters."

"The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a great addition t🔯o the iconic franchise. Perfect for families with teens & Tolkien fans, it has deeper exploration of lore, delivers an empowering story, offers up insane action & features exciting cameos," says Maಞma's Geeky's .

"The War of the Rohirrim is a fantastic journey back to Middle-earth! With an outstanding voice cast, dazzling animation, and superb directing from 𒊎Kenji Kamiyama, the film is an absolute must-watch on the big screen,🐼 with its epic action and battle sequences," says Muses of Media's .

"The War of the Rohirrim blends anime-inspired 2D and 3D animation in an EMPOWERING tale that deepens Middle-earth’s lore with themes of legacy, hope, and leadership. Though stunning, it feels more suܫited for streaming than theatres. Nonetheless, Tolkien fans will rejoice!" says Geekcentric's .

"#LordOfTheRings War of the Rohirrim is a breathtaking jump into anime for the Middle-earth Saga. There is so much to love for the animated return of Tolkien's #LOTR mythology; and it fee꧋ls every bit as epic and stirring as you'd want. I cannot wait to see this aga൩in," says CinemaBlend's .

"Finally, I can talk about #TheWarofTheRohirrim! If you love the original Lord of the Rings trilogy the new film is 100% for you, and if you love what 'Rings of Power' has been doing, it's also 100% for you. This film reignited my love for Tolkien in a very real way. Stunning animation, gorgeous storytelling, and phenomenal voice work!" says Coll🅠ider's .

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim arrives in theaters on December 13, 2024. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming movies of this year and beyond to fi𒆙ll out your watchlist.

The footage was posted on by Warner Brothers and captioned “Before you return to Middle-earth, here's an extended preview of what's in store." The 8-minute clip opens with a man caught in a blizzard who comes face to face with a terrifying beast that we cannot see. After a vicious attack, a survivor flees and tells the kingdom’s leader that "he" has killed them all with his bare hands. The rest of the clip shows the dark and snowy winter sweeping through the kingdoℱm, Orcs collecting fistfuls of rings to take to Mordor, and a new look at main character Héra Hammerhand voiced by Gaia W♐ise. Watch the full clip below.

It looks like fans are already loving the new movieꦿ as one replied to the tweet writing, "Wow I can’t wait!" while another posted a GIF of Frodo Baggins applauding.

Set 183 years before th༒e events of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy based on the beloved books by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim tells the story of the King of Rohan Helm Hammerhand as he tries to protect his kingdom against ruthless Dunlending lord Wulf.

The official synopsis from Warner Bros reads: "Wulf, seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring📖 last stan🧔d in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction."

As well as Wise, the voice cast also includes Succession’ Brian Cox 🉐as Helm Hammerhand, Snowpiercer’s Luke Pasqualino as Wulf, and The Lord of the Rings’ Miranda Otto, who is reprising her role as Éowyn. Lorraine Ashbourne, Yazdan Qafouri, Benjamin Wainwright, Laurence Ubon👍g Williams, Shaun Dooley, and Michael Wildman also star.

The animated film, directed by Blade Runner: Black Lotus’ Kenji Kamiyama also boasts the same screenwriting team behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, as well as Peter Jackson himself on board as a producer.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim releases on December 13. For more, check out the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best anime you should be watching now and the latest from 2024's biggest 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new anime.

As producer Philippa Boyens tells 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SFX magazine in the new issue, which features Doctor Who's Christmas special 'Joy to the World' 🀅on the cover, she wanted to be sure they were not re-treading old ground.

"One of the reasons why I kept getting stuck on what our foray back into the world of Middle-earth could be was that we didn’t want it to involve Dark Lords or rings, and that it could be a self-contained story, that it wouldn’t necessarily involve characters that we already knew, that this could revol💝ve around a whole fresh set of characters," sh🐭e explains. "I felt it needed to be a story that could stand alone in the form of animation – and I always loved the Rohirrim as a people, I found them fascinating."

It helped too, the pr💞oducer adds, that it was a new animated approach. Boyens continues: "I was always a little bit sceptical. It wasn’t until Warner Bros came to us and said, 'What about an anime film?' that I felt, 'Yes, an anime film could absolutely work in Middle-earth.' The story of Helm immediately came to mind as soon as they said anime."

Not a subscriber to SFX? Then

The War of the Rohirrim is set 183 years before Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films, telling the story of Helm Hammerhand. He was a legendary🐻 king of the Ro🌸han who defended his kingdom against an army of Dunlendings. The voice cast includes Brian Cox in the lead role as Hammerhand, alongside Gaia Wise, Luke Pasqualino, and Miranda Otto.

"It felt like a story that would fit well within the tradition of great Japanese cinematic storytelling," Boyens explains. "Not just themes ཧof honor, but of family, and that sense that even our h💃eroes have quite significant flaws, in the case of Helm Hammerhand."

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim releases in theaters on De🦋cember 13. Read more in , which features Doctor Who's Christmas special 'Joy to the World' on the cover and hits newsstands on Tuesday, Decembe💞r 3. Check out the fittingly festive cover below...

For even more from SFX, sign up to our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:newsletter, wꦕhich delivers all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.

"I reached out to Gita, Lady Lee, and she said the thing that I think Peter (Jackson) felt in his heart. Christopher would've wanted this," Boyens told . "And so we went into his records and♕ got to go back and hear his voice, not just doing the lines, but talking to us as well. We based it on a line from The Hobbit, which is, &a🅺pos;Are you in need of assistance, my lady?' [It was] a version of that line... Can we use it? Can we find a new read of it?"                         

Lee played Saruman in both The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy, with The Hobbit: The Battle of th🐻e Five Armies being the final movie released in his lifetime.  Saruman is the leader of the Istari, the wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form to go up against Sauron. Saruman has a different arc than the other wizards, however, as he𒁏 is corrupted by power and tries to take over Middle-earth.

Set approximately 183 years before the events of Lord of the Rings, The War of the Rohirrim is se♋t to explore the era of Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox), the King of Rohan, and the origins of the fortress at Helm's Deep.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is set to hit theaters on December 13. For more, check out our list of the most exciting 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond.

"I can tell you definitively it isn't two films!" Lord Of The Rings screenwrite🦋r Philippa Boyens told . "That was a genuine misunderstanding that happened because we've begun to work, conceptually, on two different live-action films. The first being The Hunt For Gollum, the second one still to be confirmed."

Part of the reason the idea that Hunt for Gollum would be two movies🧔 spread is thanks to . "We're playing around with a number of ideas, but most of those ideas do include Gandalf," Boyens added. "So Gandalf would potentially return for two live-action films."

That's not the end of the potential LOTR expansion, either, with Boyens also teasing that more anime movies could happen if the upcoming War of the Rohirrim is a hit. "We have an absolute banger of a second film that w𝕴ould just be incredible as an anime," she said. "But le🍨t's see if there’s an appetite for it."

Of course, if you're wanting more Gandalf now, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Rings of Power season 2 has you covered. The mysterious Stranger was revealed to be the Istar in the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:season 2 finale. "I haven't yet, no. Gosh, having a chat with Ian would be a wonderful thing. I'd feel very honored to do that," Stranger actor Daniel Weyman told us of ꦕif he's reached out to McKellan. "All the people who have played the wizards on ✃screen have been extraordinary."

While you wait for The Hunt for Gollum, check out our guide to all of this year's most exciting upcoming 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:movie release dates to get planning your theater trips. 

"All I know is that they called me and said these films were going to happen, mainly going to be about Gollum, Andy Serkis who plays Gollum is going to direct, and there would be a scri🌼pt arriving sometime in the new year – that's next year – and I'll judge whether I want to go back," McKellen said on .

Added McKellen: "But I would. I would love to🌳 go back. I would love to go back to New Zealand, number one. I also don't like the idea💛 of anyone else playing [Gandalf]."

Serkis had previously teased Gandal🌌f's return, saying that we might see "characters we recognize" in the new film. Well, considering that Gandalf is one of the main characters in The Hunt for Gollum...we think it's a given...especially with Ian McKellen previous𝔉ly saying⭕ that he 'heard' that Gandalf will indeed be in the film. Now we just ha𝕴ve to hope that he likes the script. Aragorn is the other main star of the pic, though Viggo Mortensen has not yet commented on the film.

More Lord of the Rings movies ꧑ar꧋e reportedly on the way, with Peter Jackson directly involved.

The Hunt for Gollum is set to hit theaters in 2026. For more, check out our guides to how to watch The Lordꦇ of the Rings movies in order and our breakdown of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Lord of the Rings timeline. 

Bloom, of course, played Legolas in all six of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. Now, though, Gollum performer Andy Serkis is set to helm another in🙈stallment in the fantasy ꦬfranchise, and Ian McKellan has already 𝔉revealed ꦬGandalf is likely to return. 

By the sounds of it, Legolas could be back, too, if Bloom is invite𒊎d to return. "Oh, man, those things are amazing. Yeah. I don't know how they'd do it. I guess with AI you can do anything these days," Bloom told . "But, if Pete [Peter Jackson] says jump, I say, 'how high?' I mean, he started my whole career."

But, Bloom isn't totally up to speed with what's going on. "I really don't know what [they are planning❀]," he commented. "I did speak to Andy [Serkis] and he did say they were thinking about how to do things. I was like, 'How would that even work?' And he was like, 'Well, AI!' and I was like, 'Oh, OK!' It was a pretty magical time in my life, and it's one of those things where there's not a downside to it."

It's unclear how exactly AI will factor into the movie, then – but, since it's ꦰa prequel, we'd wager that it might be involved in de-agi🥂ng any of the returning actors (if indeed there are any). 

Right now, you can get your fill of Middle-earth with 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Rings of Power season 2, which is streaming on Prime Video. Check out our 澳洲幸运ꦡ5开奖号码历史查询:The Rings of Power season 2 release schedule to keep up to date, or our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Rings of Power season 2 review for our verdict on the new episodes. 

"I shall just k🦋eep at it as long as the legs and the lungs and the mind keep working," McKellen to💝ld . 

As for his return🎃 as the f🍃amous wizard, McKellen said: "I'm not letting anyone else put on the pointy hat and beard if I can help it."

"Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating," McKellen commented recently of coming back as Gandalf. "I can't tell you any more than that. I've just been t𝓀old there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be inv🍌olved and they hope that I'll be playing him."

"When? I don't know. What the script is👍? It's not written yet. So, they better be quick," he added. 

In May, it was revealed that Andy Serkis would star in and direct 🅺the live-action movie The Hunt for Gollum. Plus, Peter Jackson will be involved, acting as a producer on the project. But, it's so early🍸 in the process that further details🎐 are unknown at this point, beyond Gandalf's apparent involvement. 

Of course, there's also 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Rings of Power season 2, which is currently releasing weekly on Prime Video. Depending on who you believe 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Stranger is, it's possible that someone else is already playing Gandalf… but that reꦅ🅠mains to be seen. 

While you wait for more Lord of the Rings, check out our guide to this year's most exciting major 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:movie release dates for everything 2024 has in store. 

Speaking to , the actor who played the beloved wizard in both the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, gave the update. "Enthusiasm for The Lord of the Rings shows no sign of abating," he said when asked about it. "I can’t tell you any more than that. I’ve just been to✱ld there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved and they hope that I’ll be playing him."

Earlier this year it was confirmed that S🌃erkis would be starring and directing two more Lord of the Rings films focussed around G🐈ollum. Currently, the first ha𝓀s a wo🐓rking release date of 2026, but McKellen adds that they haven’t got a script for it just yet. 

"When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So, they better be quick," he added. McKellen is recentl🐷y recovering from a fall on stage during a performance in London’s West End, but his next movie The Critic is out this month.

The new live-action Lord of the Rings films will see Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens return as producers too. However, story deta🦋ils are pretty much non-existent at this point, and no o💦ther characters have been announced yet.

"It is so early; 𒊎it would be unfair to commit to anything at this point. But I will say that it will be a deep dive where we investigate Gollum’s character," Serkis told a panel at ACE Superhero Comic Con 2024 (via ) earlier this year. "There may be characters that we recognize that might be coming back. I’m not going to say who."

The franchise is doing well at the moment though, with an animated movie called The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim due out later this year. 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The film recently released its trꦬailer, which referenced Jackson’s live-action movies. 

Elsewhere, prequel series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is airing its second season on Prime Video. For more information, check out our guides on how to watch the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Lord of the Rings movies in order and our breakdown of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Lord of the Rings timeline.

"Are you kidding me?" Blanchett replied when Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen suggested that her biggest paycheck was from Peter Jackson's L✱ord of the Rings trilogy (via ). "No, no one got paid anything to do that movie."

Blanchett played Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, The Lord of the Ri✤ngs: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

"I basically got free sandwiches, and I got to keep my [elf] ears," Blanchett continued, adding that sh⛦e ne🎉ver got a "piece of the backend" either.

The first installment in Jackson's trilogy hit theaters in 2001, and grossed $887.4 million against a whopping $93 million budget. All three fil♛ms together took in💛 a box office total of $1.156 billion. So needless to say, we're frustrated on her behalf.

Despite this, Blanchett said in a recent interview that she would absolutely return as Galadriel for The Hunt for Gollum, which ▨is being directed by none oth🌳er than Andy Serkis. The actor told that she "finagled her way into The Hobbit" and that she would "do anything with Andy Serkis."

The Hunt for Gollum is slated for a 2026 release date. Blanchett can currently be seen starring as Lilith in Eli Roth's live-action 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Borderlands movie. For more, check out our list of the most exciting 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond.

Embracer seeks to expand the already expansive Middle-Earth universe with more haste than the Nazgul search for Hobbits, with plans set for more live-action films starting with 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:a standalone Hunt For Gollum flick, following the failed Gollum game.  

With the Lord of the Rings's big screen renaissance on the way, Embracer Freemode CEO Lee Guinchard was asked about the company's approach to licensed games in an interview with . "All🔯 I can say through all of this is you have to respect the works," he said. There's no word on how exactly the company plans to "respect" J.R.R. Tolkien's books but the executive was pretty bullish regardless. 

"We believe that gaming can be the future, of course," Guinchard continued. "And I think we want to do somet♊hing amazing and big over time. And really, it's important to build those relatio🍎nships in order to really take this thing into the next chapter. Historically, it's just been so fragmented."

Guinchard acknowledges꧋ that "not everything is going to hit it out of the park… but we're really creating an ecosystem and an agile company that ꧋invites creators to create things in this world. That's the plan."

Among the games that haven't "hit it out of the park" so far is the above-mentioned Gollum game, which was disastrous enough to become a meme and澳洲幸运5开奖号码历𒈔史查询: lead to layoffs for the development studio. Lord of the Rings licenses also led to last year's fairly well-liked co-op game Return to Moria, alongside an upcoming 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:cozy life sim about Hobbits and an 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Amazon 🍎Games MMO fro𒉰m the studio behind New World. 

Embracer CEO admitted he “deserves a lot of criticism” after 1,400 layoffs, 7 studio closures, and 29 canceled games. 

The Lord of the Rings movies were famously shot in New Zealand, which is green and mountainous and more or less perfect for J.R. Tolkien's fantastical world. The final major battle of the 🐓War of the Ring, seen in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, takes place at Mordor's Black Gate – which is anything but lush and green.

"For the Black Gates of Mordor location we needed an area that's a bit like a desert," director Peter Jackson explains. "This area of the desert is unfortunately where the New Zealand army do their live firing exer🐼cises." Two soldiers then appear to explain that the area in question is where b🔥ombs are dropped and demolitions are done.

In the interview, Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortensen humorously explain that an army officer came to set one morning to explain the difference between a r♎ock and a bomb – and not to touch, kick, or activate the latter. Mortensen goes on to explain that this was kind of an impossible task given that a literal battle takes place in that sand, where those leftover bombs and fragments were embe🐓dded. 

"We were filming right in the middle of it doing a battle sc🐟ene," Bloom recalls. "Churning up the earth with all of us runnin💙g around and jumping and down."

Because the army didn't want to be responsible for blowing anyone u🍰p, they would periodically remove bomb fragments throughout their shooting days. Thankfully, no one was huꦫrt.

For more, check out our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best movies of the decade.

In Peter Jackson’s beloved ad🥂aptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, some eagle-eyed fans noticed that Frodo Baggins never uses Legolas’ name. In fact, the pair barely actually talk to one another in the whole saga apart from one exchange about a bow. This led to a strange, and very tongue-in-cheek, theory to develop among viewers that maybe Frodo doesn’t actually know the Elf’s name.

To give some context, around five years ago, a Reddit user suggested that Frodo forgot Legolas’ name when the Fellowship reunited in 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Return of the King. They speculated that Frodo yells Gimli’s name, but he only smiles and nods at the♕ Elf when he walks in. "This is because Frodo’s mind was distracted with the gravity of his mission when he met Legolas so he completely spaced during their introduction," they argued. Watch the clip here and see what you think.

The theory went viral an🐬d has long be🐓en entered meme territory. That is, until now. In a new post, one viewer spotted indisputable evidence that Frodo does actually know Legolas’ name. Phew.  

from

So, it’s all down to Frodo’s book he’s writing at the end of Retur𓄧n of the King. Redditor screenshotted and zoomed in, noticing that the name "Legolas" is written on the page.

"Frodo's book at the end," they wrote. "He finished it years after the ring was destroyed, so it's possible he didn't know Legolas' name at the time but learned it later (even just to write the book). But this is indisputable proof that Frodo does indeed know Legolas&ဣapos; name and even spells it correctly with all the accents and everything."

Well, there you have it. It may be a friendship of few words, but they at least know each other’s names. For more on Middle-earth, check out our guides to 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Rings of Power season 2 and how to watch the Lord of the Rings movies a💙nd 🦋shows in order.

Below, we help you make sense of everything that has been released so far in the fantasy franchise, from the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, released in the early 2000s, to the animated film 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历ꦜ史查询:The Lord of t♕he Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which hit theaters last year. The Lord of t🥂he Rᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚings movies weren't released in chronological order, so you might need more help than you realise.

There is a lot to know in this fan-favorite saga, as JRR Tolkien's epic works provided an immense amount of information about its history and mythology. We only got the tip of the iceberg with Peter Jackson's first trilogy, and now new projects൲ are expanding the Middle Earth on screen like we have never seen it before.

With The Hunt of Gollum being one of the most exciting 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming movies and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Rings of Power season 3 already in the works, we've made a handy 'how to watch' guide to truly "Rule Them All". Here we explain everything you need to know for a Middle-earth marathon. Adventure awaits🉐!

How to watch all The Lord of the Rings movies and shows

The Lord of the 💟Rings movies and shows in release order

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
• The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 (2022)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 (2024)
• The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)

There are two main ways to navigate your journey into Middle-earth:ꦗ in release order, or in chronological order. Here’s your gu𒊎ide to the former, which is how most people familiar with the world already will have watched them.

We’ve got to admit this is probably the most satisfying way to tackle the saga as it's the way i🐟t was 𝓀intended to be watched. And you won't miss much as you don’t get a huge amount of context that you’ll need later on from the prequels, they just add more to it once you’ve seen it.

The Lord of the Rings movies and s🉐hows in chronological order

• The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 (2022)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 (2024)
• The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
• The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

The other major way to get your head around The Lord of the Rings saga is to tackle it in the order of events. That means starting with The Rings of Power, whic🐽h is set thousands of years before the movies in the Second Age of Middle-earth and tells the origins of characters like Galadriel and Sauron.

However, for all you Tolkien purists, be warned that The Rings of Power doesn't really stick to Tolkien's canon. In fact, in its current state, it breaks canon. The prequel series implies that Celeborn isn't alive (despite him appearing in The Fellowship and therefore also implying that his granddaughter Arwen won't be born ei🧸ther). So keep that in mind if you include it in your marathon.

Then, going back to the movies, there’s a very big jump ahead to The Hobbit trilog🍬y, which takes place in the Third Age of Middle-earth and around 60 years before The Lord of the Rings Movies. Watching it in this order will mean you have a lot more cꩵontext for some of the big events and main characters by the time you reach The Fellowship of the Ring.

So, if you’re a viewer who likes to kno🌞w the whole picture first, then this might be the way for you to tackle it.

Where to watch the Lord🎶 of the Rings movies in order

Unfortunately, not all of The Lord of the Rings movies and shows are available in one place. So ♒you’ll have to do a bit of streaming platform hopping to be able to stay on top of your watching saga.

Luckily, most are on the same platform. All of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies are available to watch on HBO’s streaming platform MAX in the US. Meanwhile, if you’re in the UK, you’ll need to have NOW💛 TV in order to stream them – and The War of the Rohirrim is available to rent on Apple TV.

The Rings of Power is only available on Amazon Prime Video so you’ll need a subscription to that streaming service 🍸to be able to watch it. If you want to keep it all in one place, you can buy ꦬthe movies on Amazon as well so you don’t have to keep switching apps.

New Lord of the Rings movies and shows

There has been talk of a few new Lord of the Rings movies. However, we know for sure that we are at least getting one with Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Lord of the Ri♏ngs: The Hunt for Gollum is scheduled to be released in December 2027 and will be directed by Peter Jackson. Andy Serkis will also be returning to reprise his role as Gollum.

If you didn't know already The Hunt for Gollum appeared in The Lord of the Rings appendices and was mentioned throughout The Fellowship of the Ring. The events of the Hunt for Gollum aren't a lengthy affair, though. In fact, it takes place around the time between Bilbo's birthday party and the start of Frodo's adventure where he is told to leave the Shire. That's a qui𒁏ck timeframe to work with, so we'll likely see Jackson make changes or additions here or there like he did with The Hobbit (turning the short novel into three films). Whether longtime Tolkien fans embrace those hypothetical story decisions are to be seen.

Warner Bros. Discovery's CEO, David Zaslav, stated in 2023 that there are plans for multiple new movies set in Tolkien’s universe. So, The Hunt for Gollum is likely the first in a string of new Lord of the Rings films to be announced. If they are announced, Lord of the Rings screenwriter Philippaꦐ Boyens has hinted that Gandalf will be a major 𒈔focus going forward. Stay tuned for updates!

For more on Middle-earth, we've got a guide to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best Lord of the Rings games for you to play right now. Or you can check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Rings of Power season 2 review if you fancy hearing about Amazon Prime's latest Tolkien outing.

In Gandalf's showdown with the Witch-king – a scene only found in the extended editions – the sinister villain b🅠reaks Gandalf's magic staff. But, by the end of the film, in the Grey Havens, the wizard has the staff once more. What gives, Gandalf?

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"That scene is one of my few gripes about [Peter Jackson]'s movies," . "The way [J.R.R] Tolki🐠en wrote it was much better and the Witch-king shouldn't be able to break the staff of a wizard." In the film, the Witch-king leaves after breaking Gandalf's staff when he hears a horn in the distance; in the book, Gandalf and the Witch-king do have a confrontation, which again ends with horns, but, crucially, with no broken staff. 

"I prefer just to ignore that the witch king destroyed his staff in the movie," . "Honestly this," . "The movies aren't as perfectly consistent as the books. Some things in the movies you ꦡjust have to accept as 'it looks cool, so we won't think too much about how illogical this is.'"

But, there🐭's probably a very simple explanation. "Gandalf lost his first staff during the fight with the Balrog," . "Then he g𒊎ot his second staff from the Elves in Lorien (he also gets new clothing there). So maybe that's where the staff at the end came from as well."

, though: "Tom Bombadill whittled Gandalf a new one from a tree during his stay with Tom after the destruction of the One Ring.ꦍ This was revealed to me in a dream."

Our next trip to Middle-earth will come in The Lor♏d of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2, though the new episodes don't yet have a release date. In the meantime, check out our guide to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best shows on Amazon Prime Video to fill out your watchlist. 

Per , he said at a recent conference: "One of the other real strengths of Warner Bros. is we talk about the great IP that Warner Bros. owns. But, for us, the challenge is that our content, our great IP – Harry Potter, DC, Lord of the Rin𝄹gs – that content has been underused." 

He then continu♔ed, "When you put those franchises in, it’s the best performing studio in the world. We need to deploy our best capital, and we need to do it with the best creative people in the world."

We’ve got to be honest, it’s an unexpected take from Zaslav on all fronts. There have been a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:huge number of DC movies that have been released over the past few years. Meanwhile, despite him saying Harry Potter hasn’t been used in a decade, there have been several 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Fantastic Beasts prequels during that time. 

Then there’s the Lord of the Rings elephant in the room. Yes, Amazon Studios has released a huge prequel series in 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Rings of Power, but it seems Zaslavꦑ is disregarding this as it doesn’t fall under the WBD umbrella. 

Admittedly, it does seem change is somewhat afoot at studio with more plans for these franchises in the pipeline. We know there’s a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Harry Potter TV show and a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Lord of the Rings animated movie. Then there’s James Gunn’s and Peter Safran’s 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:DCU Chapter One pl⛄ans, which🦋 feature Superman and Batman reboots. 

Although, of course, this is all provided the studios reach a deal amid the ongoing WGA and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:SAG-AFTRA strikes. 

For more 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming movies, check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:2023 movie release dates guide.

澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The a💧nimated film was slated for April 12, 2024, but Godzilla X 📖Kong: The New Empire now occupies that date, after Dune 2 took its original March 15, 2024 slot (the Dune sequel was meant to come out this November). The War of the Rohirrim will now land on December 13, 2024 – the same date as the upcoming new Karate Ki🗹d film (H/T ). 

The War of the Rohirrim is a📖n anime movie that will focus on Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan, who will be voiced by Succession star Brian Cox. ꦏMiranda Otto will also reprise her role as Eowyn. 

The film is directed by Kenji Kamiyama and is set around 200 years before 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Lord of the 𒀰Rings: The Two Towers – that film features an epic battle at Hel൲m's Deep, which is named after Helm Hammerhand. 

Though the delay is pretty gutting, it also brings the 🏅film into line with the rest of the Lord of the Rings movies, w🔜hich were all released in December. Christmas in Middle-earth, anyone?

As for more LOTR projects, The Lord of the Rin🃏gs: The Rings of Power season 2 is still in the works. 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Filming wrapped ahead of thꦍe SAG-AFTRA actors' strike, though th🃏ere's still no release date for the episodes of Amazon Prime Video's epic fantasy show just yet. 

While you wait for more Lord of the Rings, check out our guide to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best shows on Amazon Prime Video to fill out your watchlist. 

The clip, posted to by Australian journalist Jacqueline Felgate, sees (almost) an entire plane of soccer fans cheer for the Matildas as they advanced to the semifinals. In the center of the clip is someone catching the end of Return of the King, when Frodo wakes up after destroying the ring. The best part of the clip is the unintentionally hilarious timing: the plane cheers for the team at the exact moment Merry aꦇnd Pippin walk into frame to greet Frodo – uniting the Fellowship once 𒆙more.

The shootout victory against France was the longest of its kind in men's or women's World Cup history, with a record 20 kicks. 🐭The passengers on the plane – except our friend in the middle there – can be seen cheering at Cortnee Vine's winning penalty.

If you're a sports fan, you might be wondering why someone would be watching a fantasy film from 2003 on a plane full of Australian football fans who are witnessing literal history being made. And to that we say: the Peter Jackson-directed Lord of♔ the Rings films are some of the best cinema ever made, so we honestly don't blame𒀰 them. We're extremely happy for the Matildas, though. Go sports.

For more, check out our list of the 100 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best movies of the decade, or, check out our list of the most exciting 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming movies in 2023 and beyond.

As posted on TikTo🐬k by his friend Scarlet Learmonth, Ben Coyles was in costume on a pub crawl in Bristol, England when he met the Gandalf actor. McKellen portrayed the wizard across all three Lord of the Rings movies and The Hobb♐it Trilogy.

Another friend, Felix Spence𝓰r, spoke to about the magical experience.

"We 🎃were on the penultimate pub on the pub crawl and, as we’re walking there, someone comes up behind me and asks if he’d like our Gan🧔dalf to meet the real Gandalf," Spencer said.

"I assumed it was someone jusไt joking around but when I turn around to talk to him he gestures towards his friend. It takes me a while to realize at first but then I see that it 🧸is, in fact, Ian McKellen."

The chance McKellen meeting comes off the back of the announcement that 澳洲幸运5开奖ౠ号码历史查询:new Lord of the Rings movies are in the works at Warner Bros. Discovery.

One of the OG trilogy’s stars, Elijah Wood, 澳🔯洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:has expres🎀sed surprise at the decision♛ – but is excit▨ed to see what comes next in Middle-earth.

"I'm fascinated and I'm excited," Wood told . "I hope it's good. I'm surprised – I don't know why I'm surprised because of course there would be more mov🅷ies.”

In the television space, The Lord of ♌the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 is currently filming in the UK – though 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:one of its villains has been recas💫t.

For more, here are the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new TV shows we’ve got coming our way in 2023 and beyond.

They're still in a very early stage with no filmmakers attached yet, but Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning original movies, was already quizzed on his thoughts. "I'm fascinated and I'm excited," he told . "I hope it's goo🎶d. I'm surprised – I don't know why I'm surprised because of course there would be more movies.

"Obviously at the 🐟core of that, is a desire to make a lot of money. It's not that a bunch of executives are like, 'Let's make really awesome art.' And, again, not begrudging anybody because, of course, it is commerce. But great art can come from commerce. So those two things are not mutually exclusive."

Wood added that he did feel the original Lord of the Rings movies "didn't come out of that place," however. "It came out of a passion for these books and wanting to see them realized," he added. "And I hope that that is ultimately what will drive everything forward with whatever these subsequent movies are. I j🌊ust hope that it's the same motivating factor at its core, whenever they hire a screenwriter and a filmmaker – that it is with reverence for Tolkien's material and enthusiasm to explore it."

As well as new movies set in the Lord of the Rings universe, Amazon's prequel series is ongoing. 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Rings of Power season 2 is currently in production with 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new cast members announced, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:a major character recast, and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:potential plot details uncovered. 

Check out our guides to 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new TV shows and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming movies for what else to add to your watchlist in 2023.

The studio's CEO recently announced that Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema had made a multiye💎ar deal to make new Lord of the Rings movies with Embracer Group, the company that owns the rights ꧑to certain elements of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit novels.

These rights cover Tolkien's Third Age of Middle-earth, the period when Peter Jackson's movies were set, while Amazon's 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The🤡 Lord of th🅘e Rings: The Rings of Power series covers the less familiar Second Age. 

So, what does it mean to have a "Star Wars-like franchise"? Well, Star Wars has made a huge leap into the small-screen in recent years, with series like 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Mandalorian, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor releasing on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Disney Plus. There are plenty more on the way, too, including Ahsoka, starring Rosario Dawson as her character from 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Mandalorian, and Skeleton Crew, which will star Jude Law.

This means we could see a similar expansionꦇ of The Lord of the Rings franchisꦕe into streaming TV shows on the Warner Bros.-owned HBO Max alongside new movies, although nothing has been confirmed yet. 

Our next journey to Middle-earth will be on Prime Video for The Lord of the Rings: ♚The Rings of Power season 2, which is likely to release sometime in 2024. While we wait, check out our guide to the other best 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new TV shows coming our way, this year and beyond.

Bombadil is probably J.R.R Tolkien's strangest creation, but he's been entirely absent from the live-action adaptations, which consist of Peter Jackson's two trilogies and Prime Video's 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Rings of Power. 

The character is an enigma; he's potentially the first living being in Middle-earth's history, who is mysteriously very powerful. He even tries on the One Ring, which has no effect on him at ♓all, to Frodo's surprise. He also has a penchant for speaking in rhyme and song. 

You can probably understand why Tom hasn't made the jump to live-action, then, but fans are all calling for Tom Bom, jolly Tom, Tom Bombadillo (as𝐆 he calls himself) to make his way into the new films. 

"Hear me out: New trilogy where the entire first movie is just Tom Bombadil, the second one is Éowyn and Faramir in the Houses of Healing, and the third is the Scouring of the Shire. Acꦺtually make the entire trilogy about Tom Bombadil," .

"Still rooting for that Tom Bombadil/Radagast buddy cop flick," , while has a specific actor in mind already: "As longꩵ as it’s Tom Bomꦫbadil movies starring Matt Berry, I’ll watch one every year in perpetuity." 

has 🐠another actor as a dream casting, though: "CAST JACK BLACK IN A TOM BOMBADIL MOVIE, YOU COWARDS AT WARNER BROS" 

"*please make a Tom Bombadil movie* *please make a Tom Bombadil movie* *please make a Tom Bombadil🍌 movie*" . 

"I assume that Phase One of the new LotRCU is gonna have a Tom Bombadil꧃ movie, but at what cost?" . "If they are going to re-make the LoTR movies I better fucking see motherfucking Tꦿom Bombadil!" . 

It remains to be seen if jolly Tom will make his way into the new movies, but until then, get up to speed on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Rings of Power season 2 through the link.

"We haven’t had a Superman movie in 13 years," Zaslav said, per . "We haven’t had a Harry Potter movie in 15 years. The DC movies and the Harry Potter movies provided a lot of profits to Warner Bros motion pictures over the last 25 years. 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:House of the Dragon is a big example of that; Game of Thrones, taking advantage of Sex and the City. Lord of the Rings – we still have the right to do Lord of the Ring♒s movies."

Since the late '90s, Warner Bros. has held the rights toꦉ adapt J.R.R. Tolkien's books for the big screen, leading to two award-winning trilogies: The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The company is currently working on an animated 🐎film titled The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim which is set hundreds of years before Jackson’s trilogy and focuses on the fortress of Helm’s Deep. The movie is currently dated for release on April 12, 2024.

No new plans have been announced yet for further movies from Tolkien’s univer𒁏se, but the success of The Rings of Power is no doubt an influence. The epic prequel series was made by Amazon Studios in association with New Line Cinema and . 

If you want more The Lord of the Rings, check out our guide to 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Rings of Power season 2 and our comprehensive 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Lord of the Rings timeline.

The Prime Video show is set during the Second Age, which is many, many, many years before the events seen in Peter Jackson's trilogy of films. But, if you want to put the TV show into context, we have what you need. We've taken a deep dive into the key events from the Lord of the Rings timeline, so you'll be a J.R.R. Tolkien expert in no time. We've got the important stuff from 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Hobbit,澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: The Fellowship of the Ring,澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: The Two Towers, and澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询: The Return of the King, which all occur in the Third Age, along with the appendices and The🐠 Silmarillion below. 

For the Second Age, in which The Rings of Power takes place, we have kept to the dates from the book and not added what happens in the TV series. That's because the show condenses events massively and sometimes breaks🐎 canon. Therefore, we have decided to go with the original text, as working out when the show takes place would be🌼 nearly impossible. The same goes for Jackson's trilogies – we're sticking with the books, not the movies. 

In our The Lord of the Rings timeline, ♚we've focused on the events that are most pivotal to the movies and books – so don't expect a complex explanation o🏅f the Silmarils. 

Join us on a trip through thousands of years of Middle-earth histor🔯y.

The First Age of Middle-Earth

Slightly confusingly, Tolkien’s Middle-earth time-k🦋eeping during the First Age is split across the Years of the Trees (YT) a💞nd Years of the Sun (YS).

Years of the Trees

YT 1050: The supreme deity Eru awakens the first Elves and Ents, as well as the Fathers of the Dwarves. Varda (one of 15 Valar made by Eru) creates the stars above Arda, the world in which Middle-earth is based. The Valar live in Am⭕an, also known 🌃as the Undying Lands.

YT 1080: Another Valar called Melkor (later known as Morgoth and effectively the Satan/fallen♕ angel of Tolkien’s mythology) captures Elves, and tortures and corrupts them to create the first Orcs. Durin the Deathless builds the underground kingdom of Khazad-dûm, which will later become Moria.

YT 1092: The Valar begin the l🧸ong Siege of U🎶tumno, which eventually results in the capture of Melkor.

YT 1100: Sauron (a Maia formerly known as Mairon who was originally created to help the Valar) helps his now captured master, Melkor/Morgoth, breed mo♈re Orcs and Trol💖ls from their fortress, Angband.

YT 1362: Future The Lord of the Rings icon Galadriel is b🅷orn. 

YT 1449: Fëanor begins making the Silmarils, which would eventuall🅰y lead to carnag😼e after Melkor steals them.

YT 1495: Melkor teams up with the giant spider Ungoliant, who destroys the two trees of Valinor. He also steals the Silmarils, causing✱ Fëanor to rebel against the Valar.

YT 1500: The Moon and the Sun are created, and the Battle ♒of the Lammoth takesღ place. The Years of the Trees conclude.

Years of the Sun

YS 1: Comparative latecomers to Middle-earth are awakened for 💦the fi꧑rst time.

YS 532: Future The Lord of the Rings ico🐎n Elrond is born.

YS 538:  The Third Kinslaying takes place. 

YS 545: The War of Wrath begins.

YS 590: Morgoth is cast out of Ar𒁃da into the Void. Sa🌃uron lays low for a while.

And so, the First Age of Middle-earth concludes.

The Second Age of Middle-earth

The Rings of Power takes place in this time period – though the timeline for the show has been shortened considerably. The series also breaks canon and adds events from the Th🍰ird Age. Still, if you want to stay safe, skip ahead if you don't want potential spoilers!

SA 1: Th🎉e Elven port city of the Grey Havens is founded.

SA 32: The human kingdom of Númenor (home of the long-living Númenóreans or Dúnedain) is founded by the Edꦐain ("fathers of Men") on an island raised from the Great Sea (which lies to the west of Middle-earth) by the Valar.

SA 500: It tur🅠ns out you can’t keep a good minion down as Morgoth’s former sidekick, Sauron, makes his Middle-earth comeback.  

SA 1000: Sauron begins construction on a Barad-dûr (AKA the Dark Tower), a purpose-built fortress in what will later be reꦡbranded as the land of Mordor (where the shadows lie). Spectacular views of volcanic wastelands come as standard.

SA 1500: Nineteen Rings of Power are forged – three for the Elves, seven for the Dwarf Lords, and nine for mortal Men. They’re designed to carry “the strength and will to govern each race” but – perhaps inevitably – there’s a catch. Sauron taught Celebrimbor and the Elven smiths of Eregion the skills required to make the infamous jewelry,🦩 with an ulterior motive…

SA 1600: Sauron heads to Mount Doom in Mordor to craft an all-conquering "One Ring to rule 🃏them all". Thanks to his impressive forward-planning, this One Ring has dominion over all the other Rings of Power and becomes a crucial weapon in his ongoing mission to conquer Middle-earth.

SA 1697: After the destruction of Eregion in the so-called War of the Elves and Sauron – where the  Eꦗlves make a move to keep the three Elven rings (Vilya, Nenya, and Narya) out of the Dark Lord’s hands – Elrond builds the picturesque Rivendell, widel꧅y known as "the last homely house east of the sea". 

SA 2251: The Nazgûl (AKA the Black Riders, AKA the Ringwraiths,﷽ AKA the nine human🅘 ringbearers corrupted by the One Ring) are sighted for the first time. 

SA 2800: 🦹Númenor starts to cl🐟aim territory in Middle-earth.

SA 3209: Isildur, future ring bearer and vanq🌠uisher of Sauron, is born. Aꦬlthough Tolkien generally refers to them as "mortal men", humans in this era frequently live for centuries.

SA 3261: King 𝄹Ar-Pharazôn of Númenor takes Sauron prisoner, but the Dark Lord gradually uses his well-documented powers of deception and persuasion to earn a position as court advisor.

SA 3319: Under the influence𒈔 of Sauron, Ar-Pharazôn attacks the Undying Lands of Aman. As divine retribution, Númenor is drowned in classic Atlantis-style. Most of its residents are killed, but a few survive to make new lives in Middle-eart꧂h.

SA 3320: Exiled from their sunken homeland, the humans of𓃲 Númenor found the kingdoms of Gondor and Arnor in the vast region of Middle-eﷺarth known – at this point – as Eriador.  

SA 3430: A Last Alliance of Elves and Men is formed👍 to make a final stand against Sauron and his forces. It’s an epic team-up between Elven high king Gil-galad and Elendil, a M✃an of Númenor who’s subsequently crowned the first High King of the Dúnedain. (As a result, he’s the ruler of Gondor and Arnor. He’s also Isildur’s dad.)

SA 3441: The war reaches its endgame on the slopes of Mount Doom. Seemingly at the height of his powers, Sauron kills Elendil and Gil-Galad, but Isildur refuse✃s to accept defeat. Grabbing his old man’s broken sword, he cuts off the Dark Lord’s finger – and with it, the One Ring. Sauron’s physical form is obl💦iterated, but his spirit lives on in the Ring. Isildur’s subsequent decision to keep the trinket for himself, rather than destroying it in the fires of Mount Doom, is one of the most pivotal in the history of Middle-earth – though, to be fair, the Ring does have an uncanny gift for self-preservation. 

And so, the Second Age of Middle-earth concludes.

The Third Age of Middle-earth

This is the most familiar part of Middle-earth history! We’ve highligh🧸ted the bits that correspond to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings – and, because so much happens so quickly in the latter, we’ve included months as well as years.

TA 2: Isildur’s reign as king is cut short when his party is attacked by Orcs near the Anduin river. He believes the One Ring will protect him by allowing him disappear, but the pesky band on his fi🍎nger has other ideas. Proving it has a will of its own, the Ring slides off his finger, making its wearer visible to the attacking Orcs. After Isildur’s death, it settles onto the riverbed to be forgotten for millennia. Its story is not over, however…

TA 1000: 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Five Wizards (among them Gandalf the Grey, Sꦫaruman the White, and Radagast the Brown) are sent to Middle-earth to counter the growingꦐ threat of Sauron. Despite looking like old men, they’re actually Maiar spirits who were originally created to help the Valar.

TA 1050: The Harfoots, the nomadic ancestors of the Hobb🅷its, cross over the Misty Mountains into Eriador, where they’ll later found the Shire.

TA 1601: The Shire is founded on the banksℱ of the Brandywine River.

TA 1980: The Dwarves of Khazad-dûm (subsequently known as Moria🌃) awaken a Balrog, an ancient evil dating back to the Years of the Trees. King Durin VI is killed, and the Dwarves abandon their ancient fortress.

TA 2460: Now going under the alias of "the Necromancer," Sauron take🔴s up residence in the fortress of Dol Guldur in Mirkwood.🧸 

TA 2463: A Stoor-hobbit named Déagol has a birthday to forget on the Gladden River. When a big fish pulls him into the water, he finds the One Ring on the river bed, but the surprise gift quickly becomes the stuff of nightmares. His cousin, Sméagol, is so captivated by the corrupting power of the jewelry that he kills Déagol to keep it for himself. After becoming a pariah among his people, S꧟méagol is cast out of town and relocates to a cave in the Misty Mountains. Although the Ring prolongs🌳 his life for centuries, he’s a shadow of his former self and becomes known as Gollum. 

TA 2770: Smaug, a dragon with a passion for bling, trashes the human settlement of Dale, and takes control of Erebor, also known as the Lonely Mountain. The Dwarves who called it home leave to find new accommodat🧜ion.

TA 2850: Gandalf realize𓆏s the Necromancer is actually Sauron in a new guise.

The Hobbit

TA 2941: The White Council – a think tank boasting Galadriel, Elrond, Gandalf, Radagast and (until he goes bad) Saruman – ejects Sauron from Dol Guldur. (While nearly a century passes between the identification of Sauron anꦅd his departure from Mirkwood in the books, The Hobbit movies compress these events into a matter of weeks/months.)

An ordinary Hobbit named Bilbo🔜 Baggins leaves the Shire on an unexpected journey to help Dwarf Lord Thorin Oakenshield recover the family silver (and gold) from Smaug. Along the way, he finds himself playing a game of riddles in the dark with Gollum, where the One Ring senses its moment of opportunity and slips itself into Bilbo’s possession. Gollum is somewhat miffed.

Smaug attacks Lake-town but is killed by Bard the Bowman. Forces of Dwar♛ves, Elves, Men, Orcs and Eagles leap into action at the 🍷so-called Battle of the Five Armies.

TA 2942: Sauron arrives back in Mordor. Re🧸ports of a massive homecomಌing party are unconfirmed. Meanwhile, Bilbo Baggins returns to the Shire.

TA 2953: Having spent the p🍷revious 200 years in Isengard with the blessing of the Steward of Gondor, S𒆙aruman seizes the citadel for himself. 

The Fellowship of the Ring

TA 3001: Bilbo Baggins celebrates his eleventy-first bir💫thday (111) and marks the occasion by making a swift disappearance from his party. He passes the One Rin🐼g onto his nephew, Frodo.

TA 3014: Now under Sauron’s influence thanks to the Palantír in Isengard, 🍃Saruman starts to control King Théoden of Rohan. 

TA 3018 – April: Gandalf realizes the true identity of the Ring Bilbo found in Gollum’s cave, and tel𝓰ls Frodo he has to💝 get it out of the Shire – especially as the Ringwraiths have now been unleashed to track it down.

September: There’s little sense of urgency, however. While the movie version of events sees Frodo departing almﷺost immediately, around five🐓 months pass before he and his friends (Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc ‘Merry’ Brandybuck, and Peregrin ‘Pippin’ Took) leave on their long journey. 

October: The four Hobbits have encounters with 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Tom Bombadil 💫and a Barrow-wight that are trad𝓰itionally excised from screen adaptations. However, nobody leaves out the bits where they meet Aragorn (known as Strider) in the Prancing Pony in Bree, or where Frodo gets stabbed by a Morgul blade on Weathertop.

When the gang finally makes it ✨to Rivendell, the Council of Elrond decrees that the One Ring must be taken t🥃o Mount Doom – where it was first forged – to be destroyed. 

December: The four Hobbits and Aragorn are joined on their quest by Gand🐽alf, the human Boromir, the Elf Legolas, aꦉnd the Dwarf Gimli. 

TA 3019 – January: As 🍃the Fellowship of the Ring reluctantly passes through Moria, Gandalf plunges to his death as he battles the Balrog the Dwarves had awakened a millennium before.

The Two Towers

TA 3019 – February: After Boromir is 🎀killed by numerous Orc arrows, the Fellowship fragments. Merry and Pippin meet Treebeard and the Ents, F🍰rodo and Sam reluctantly hook up with Gollum, and Gandalf returns from the dead. (Although Boromir dies at the start of The Two Towers in Tolkien’s books, the event is shifted to the end of The Fellowship of the Ring in the movies.)

March: Now freed from Saruman’s malign influence, King Théoden takes the people of Rohan to the spectacular f𒀰ortress of Saruman to make a last stand against Saru🥀man and his Orc forces.

The Return of the King

TA 3019 – March continued: The Ents march on Isengard and ꦡdestroy Saruman’s base of operations. In Peter Jackson’s Extended Edition of Return of the King, the Wizard falls to his death, but in the books he survives to take revenge on the Hobbits in the so-called "Sc🌟ouring of the Shire".

The forces of Rohan, Gondor, Elves, and even a contingent of the dead unite to defeat the forces of Sauron on Pelennor Fields. Théoden’s niece, Eowyn, kills lea🍬d Nazgûl the Witch King in the battle.

Having survived a near miss with the giant spider Shelob, Frodo casts the One Ring into Mount Doom. 𝔉It’s not all plain sailing to get there, however, as Gollum bites off the Bagginses’ finger before tumbling into the lava brandishing his “precious”. Sauron is destroyed.

May: Aragorn, Isildur’s heir, is crowned king of Gondor, and marries the♓ El🌳f Arwen Undómiel.

TA 3021: Former Ring-bearers Frodo, Bilbo, Gandalf, Galadriel, and E﷽lrond catch a boat from the Grey Havens to the Undying Lands (aka Aman). In the books, Sam later joins them, having briefly carried the One꧒ Ring when he thought Frodo was dead.

And so, the Third Age of Middle-earth concludes.

That's your complete guide to the Lord of the Rings timeline. For more, check out our guides to all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new TV shows and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming movies to get excited about. Or if the above has now got to craving a movie marathon, read our guide on how to watch all the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Lord of the Rings movies in order. 

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power delivered a storming episode with 'Udûn', the sixth in the show's run. The character Theo, played by Tyroe Muhafidin, plays a key part in the battle – when The Southlanders are on the verge of being wiped out, Theo gives the villainous Adar the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:mysterious sword hilt in hopes of saving his mother, Bronwyn. 

"It was very challenging to act," Muhafidin tells Total Film about filming the scene. "I mean, I've never done a scene where I've had to watch my mother dying in front of my eyes. It took me months of p🦋reparation to find a way to get into that zone. And I hope I've done the scene justice."

Muhafidin says that, during that moment, Theo's emotions are tenfold as he's already lost his father – and the possibility of losing his mother is just too much. "He thought what would happen ൩with the hilt was less valuable than his mom," he adds.

Unlike Theo, the elf Arondir refuses to reveal the hilt's location, and thus he's willing to sacrifice Bronwyn for the greater good. Could th🌺at ruin the growing relationship between Arondir and Theo? "It can go one of two ways," says Muhafidin. "Arondir understands Theo's decision, but Arondir was willing to give Bronwyn up. Theo probably thinks that as well. That could add a layer of tension, like, 'You could have let my mom die! And you wouldn't have done anything about it!' But then he could completely understand where Arondir's coming from, and the situation. It's just something so complicated and no person should ever be in that situation. We just have to see see how that plays out."

The episode ends with Theo unraveling what was supposed to be the hilt, only for there to be a different weapon wrapped up. Throughout The Rings of Power, Theo'sꦆ struggled with the hilt, having been tempted by its power. It's another aspect of his character that could seemingly go two ways: he could embrace his backgrꦏound as a Southlander who worked for Morgoth or rise above it and become a hero.

"Theo coming of age, he's figuring out who he wants to be," Muhafidin says. "With the sword hilt, it came at the perfect time to strike if you wanted to turn him evil. When we meet Theo, he is not at a really favorable moment in his life. His mom was being shunned away from the village because of her relationship with the elf. With finding this hilt, he's finding a purpose and he's finding something to drive him. And if it has evil powers, regardless, it would take a hold of him. When he loses it, there's going to be grieving because it ꧑gave him so much. It's going to have an impact on him. And we'll see what the impact is."

The series as a whole has been conducive to theories – mainly about the identities of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Stranger and Sauron. But there's also been discussion about Theo and whether he could one day become the Witch King. That theory, however, was mainly linked to the sword, which has since seemingly been destroyed as it opened the dam to d𓆉estroy the Southlands. Muhafidin does not comment directly on that theory, but does touch on another that has been doing the rounds on social media.

"I saw one saying Halbrand is Theo and Theo is Halbrand," he says. "And I remember seeing it and I was like, 'That's a cool theory!' It was t🦩hat Theo is playing a young Halbrand, which obviously, episode six has completely debunked it. I was quite interested in it – but it's wrong!"

Next week, we catch up with Muhafidin once more to talk about what's to come for Theo. In the meantime, for more from the actor and the rest of the show's cast, check out our behind-the-scenes look at the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:maki✅ng of The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power.

I🎃n particular, the spectacular depiction of Númenor features several nods to key figures in the history of Middle-earth. Speaking on , director Wayne Yip broke down what you need to know about t🤡he statues dominating its harbor.

When Galadriel and Elendil sail into the port, several figures are carved into the stones around Númenor. Among them is Ulmo, who in Tolkien’s works was the King of the Sea and one of the Ara𝄹tar – a group also known as the Eight and the Holy Ones of Arda. "He was the god that gifted them the islands so we knew that he was going to be upfront and center welcoming visitors to the island," Yip explained of his inclusion. 

However, the most dominant of the statues is that of Eärendil who towers over the port with his wife Elwing – who had been transformed into a bird – perched on his shoulder. Eärendil was the great half-elf mariner who carried the morning star across the sky, as well as being Elrond and Elros’ father. Yip explained they included a special nod to his legend in the statue that didn't make it to the💝 final episode. 

"I don’t know if you ever see it specifically," he continued. "But we had it so at night from the wharf looking up he looks like he’s pointing up to his star so it all lines up. It’s one of those things where we felt because there are all these different bridges, they built the statue in a way you cou🍬ld enjoy different aspects of it depending on which brid꧃ge you were on at what time of day."

Yip admitted he wished they could dedicate a whole episode to breaking down the references in Númenor. But while these haven’t been explored directly in the series so far, the director did say they’ve got plenty of time left with five seasons planned 🐼already 🐈for The Rings of Power. 

For more on the series, we’ve brokedown 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:all of the major characters, 澳🍎洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:where it sits in the Lord of the Rin🉐gs timeline, and everything we know so far about 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sauron’s potential appearance. Make sure to also check out our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Rings of Power release schedule so you don't miss a moment.

Since even before the series started, a vocal minority have aimed racist vitriol at the diverse cast of the Amazon 𒁏series – the show marks the first time non-white actors have played Dwarven and Elvish characters. Actor Ismael Cruz Cordova told he had received "pure and vicious hate speech" for two years after being cast as Arondir.

Now, Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd – who played the Hobbits in Peter J꧋ackson’s film trilogy – have posed for a definitive message: "You Are All Welcome Here"

Sean Astin, who played Samwise, also posted a pi🎃cture of the Elvish message – again, translated ℱto ‘You Are All Welcome Here’ – on .

Head of Amazon Studios Jen Salke that racism in any form is not acceptable: "We’re really proud of the cast that we have in 𒁃the show. We welcome discussion and even criticism around the series; however, we will not condone racism of any kind."

In a powerful joint statement released on The Rings of Power Twitter account, the show’s cast began: "We, the cast of Rings of Power, stand together in absolute solidarity and against the relentless racism, threats, harassment, and abuse some of our castmates of color are being subjected to on a daily basis. We refuse to ignore it o💮r tolerate it."

It continued, "Middle-earth is not all white. BIPOC belong in Middle-earth and they a🅺re here to stay." You can

The message, then, is clear from all 🐻sides – racism will not be tolerated. Middle-earth welcomes everyone, no matter their color.

Alongside the Prime Video originals, plenty of other popular movies and shows will be added to the platform in September. Some of the highlights on US Prime Video include 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Legally Blonde, Skyfall, and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Troll Hunter. While UK Prime Video will be getting 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Bill & Ted Face the Music as well as a documentary all about Leeds United. To navigate all of the new content coming your way, we’ve compiled the full list o🍷f new releases on both sides of the pond. So re𝔉ad on to find out what you need to add to your watch list this September.

New on Prime Video highlights

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – September 2 

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is one of the most anticipated shows of the year. The first two episodes will finally be released on September 2, with new episodes landing weekly from then on. The epic show takes place during the Second Age of Middle-earth’s history, and, as such, is set thousands of years before J.R.R. Tolkien’s 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Hobbit and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Lord of the Rings. However, that’s not to say there won’t be some familiar faces making an appearance as elves Galadriel and Elr🥂ond play a huge role in the series, played by Morfydd Clark and Robert Aramayo, respectivel🧜y. They’ll be joined by Harfoots, Dwarves, Men, and Orcs as the show charts the re-emergence of evil in Middle-earth.

Flight / Risk – September 9

Flight / Risk is a harrowing new documentary arriving on Prime Video this September. Directed by Karim Amer and Omar Mullick, the film focuses on two Boeing 737 Max plane crashes that happened within months of each other. A total of 346 people died in the tragedies, which took place in October 2018 and March 2ꦉ019 and led to the fleet of Boeing 737 MAX passenger airliners being grounded for almost two years. Amazon Studios’ documentary tells the story through the family of those who died, their legal teams, whistleblowers, and Pulitzer-winning Seattle Times journalist Dominic Gates. 

Goodnight Mommy – September 16

Goodnight Mommy is a remake of the 2014 Austrian hit film of the same name. This new version is directed by Matt Sobel and stars Naomi Watts in the lead role. The premise follows two twin brothers (played by Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti) w🌸ho return to their house and find their mother has changed. Covered in surgical bandages and acting strangely, it quickly becomes clear this mysterious woman might not be their real mom. The horror comes as the young boys go to extreme lengths to try and out the seeming imposter in their house. It seems like it’s definitely one to watch between your fingers…

Everything new on Prime Video US this September

New on Prime Video US: September 1

• American Ninja Warrior seasons 12-13
• Friday Night Lights seasons 1-5
• Texicanas
• WAGS Miami seasons 1-2
• 21 Grams
• 23:59
• A Family Thing
• The Adjustment Bureau
• The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
• American Beauty
• American Ninja
• American Ninja 2: The Confrontation
• American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt
• American Ninja 4: The Annihilation
• An American Werewolf in London
• Apartment 143
• Autumn in New York
• Bad Influence
• Big Top Pee-Wee
• Black Sunday
• Blair Witch 2: The Book of Shadows
• The Blair Witch Project
• Cabin Fever
• Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever
• The Clan
• Cold Creek Manor
• Crazy Heart
• The Descent
• The Dilemma
• Dust 2 Glory
• Employee of the Month
• Europa Report
• The Expendables
• The Expendables 2
• The Expendables 3
• Failure to Launch
• Fight Club
• Frontera
• The Ghost and the Darkness
• Gorky Park
• Hard Eight
• He Got Game
• Heartburn
• Here Comes the Devil
• How to Train Your Dragon
• I Saw The Devil
• I’m Still Here
• In Time
• Instructions Not Included
• Intersection
• Jason’s Lyric
• Juan of the Dead
• Legally Blonde
• Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde
• Let the Right One In
• The Lifeguard
• Love Story
• Loving Pablo
• Mandrill
• The Mod Squad
• Moonlight & Valentino
• Mother!
• The Motorcycle Diaries
• Mr. Baseball
• My Beautiful Laundrette
• Night Falls on Manhattan
• Open Water
• The Out-of-Towners
• The Package
• Pulse
• The Recruit
• Reign of Fire
• Rescue Dawn
• Rings
• Role Models
• Role Models Unrated
• Ronaldo
• Rookie of the Year
• Roxanne
• The Sacrament
• Save The Last Dance
• Shattered
• The Silence of the Lambs
• Sin Nombre
• Skyfall
• Staying Alive
• Superstar
• Support Your Local Sheriff
• The Transporter
• Troll Hunter
• Uncommon Valor
• The Usual Suspects
• Van Wilder: Freshman Year
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Wanted
• War of The Worlds
• Weekend at Bernie’s
• We’re No Angels
• Wild Bill
• The Young Victoria
• Yours, Mine & Ours

New on Prime Video US: September 2

• The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

New on Prime Video US: September 7

• He Is Psychometric
• Prison Playbook
• Reply 1988
• Reply 1994
• Search: WWW
• Signal
• The Crowned Clown

New on Prime Video US: September 9

• Aline
• Flight/Risk

New on Prime Video US: September 15

• Thursday Night Football
  

New on Prime Video US: September 16

• Dog
• Firebird
• Goodnight Mommy
• The Outfit

New on Prime Video US: September 19

• Heatwave

New on Prime Video US: September 21

• Prisma

New on Prime Video US: September 23

• September Mornings season 2
• Firestarter
• Memory

New on Prime Video US: September 27

• Our Idiot Brother

New on Prime Video US: September 30

• Jungle
• Un Extraño Enemigo season 2
• Ambulance
• My Best Friend’s Exorcism

Everything new on Prime Video UK this September

New on Prime Video UK: September 2

• The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
  

New on Prime Video UK: September 9

• Flight/Risk

New on Prime Video UK: September 16

• Goodnight Mommy
• A Private Affair list

New on Prime Video UK: September 23

• Academy Dreams: Leeds United
  

New on Prime Video UK: September 24

• Bill & Ted Face the Music

New on Prime Video UK: September 30

• My Best Friend’s Exorcism
• Jungle
• Un Extraño Enemigo season 2

For more, check out our list of the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best movies on Amazon Prime and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best shows on Amazon Prime right now.

In a early this morning, Embracer said that it had "entered into an agreement to acquire Middle-earth Enterprises," granting it pote🅺ntial access to "a vast intellectual property catalogue and world💦wide rights to motion pictures, video games, board games," and much more. 

The price of the deal has not been confirmed, but some terms have been outlined. Middle-earth Enterprises "will continue to operate independentl🔯y under the exisiting [...] leadership team," but it's clear that Embracer is hoping to expand the franchise - specifically, it mentions "opportunities includ[ing] exploring additional movies based on iconic characters such as Gandalf, Aragorn, Gollum, Galadriel, Eowyn a♕nd other characters from the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkein."

While that sounds as though it might be exciting news for fans of Middle-earth, the announcement has been met with a wave of uncertainty o🍃n social media.  Journalist Rebekah Valentine tweeted to comment on how "a giant holding company literall𓃲y owning the rights to Tolkein's books is just like so profoundly antithetical to their spirit." Elsewhere, Game Developer's Bryant Francis discussed their concerns about the sheer number of franchises Embracer now owns alongside Lord of the Rings.

Ov💖er on the Lord of the Rings subreddit, a similar sentiment arose. User suggested that the focus on individual characters could lead to an "incoming Gandalf movie, Aragorn movie, Legolas and Gimli movie," adding "I hope I'm wrong." Another user was even less confident, "You think Amazon was bad? Prepare for made-up spin-off movies and series. LorR is the new cow for money like [Star Wars]. They will milk it dry until nobody cares about t🥂he franchise anymore."

Even if not everyone seems to share that more pessimistic outlook, right now there's little enthusiasm for a potential glut of new games and films appearing on social media. Embracer does seem to suggest it'll continue the somewhat hands-off approach it's brought to other acquisitions in recent years, but it's unlikely that any company would look to acquire one of the world's biggest franchises and not look to capitalise on that purchase as soon as possibl𝔉e.

Along with Middle-earth 🌸Enterprises, Embracer ℱalso announced today that it had purchased a number of other companies. They include physical games producer Limited Run Games, Killing Floor developer Tripwire Studios and Teardown's Tuxedo Labs, and gaming and music effects company Singtrix.

Just this week, a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:new Lord of the Rings game was announced from the team that helped bring Middle-earth to life.

Speaking to of the magazine, featuring The Rings of Power on the cover, Clark revealed that she discovered the news just before the Toronto premiere of Armando Iannucci’s 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Per🍰sonal History Of ꧒David Copperfield, in which she had a key role. "And then I just passed out in the Q&A," she says with a laugh, now able to r💞eflect more fondly on the moment. "That’s how I dealt with it!"

If 🀅you watch the below video from the event, at around the 16:25 mark, you will notice that about halfway through, Clark mysteriously leaves the stage. No one around her seems to know what's going on, but🦂 now we know: she was processing being called to lead one of the most ambitious TV shows of all time.

What’s perhaps more surprising is that Clark hadn’t even been told which character she would be playing. "Morfydd moved to New Zealand without knowing what role she was playing," says The Rings of Power executive producer Lindsey Weber. "We broke the news to her there. It was an incredible moment." Clark has gone on to play Galadriel, previously played by Cate Blanchett in Peter Jackson's movies, though this inꦍcarnation of the character is much younger as the series takes place thousands of years before the events of those blockbusters.

"She’s 🔯so powerful," Clark says of Galadriel. "I’ve explored a certain element of her power in this season."

• and never miss another exclusive

Read more from the cast and crew behind the series in the , featuring our huge TV preview on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:House of the Dragon, Andor, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Mandalorian season 3, and so much more. 

The magazine reaches shelves on July 26 and will be available to . Or 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:subscribe ♎and neve💎r miss an issue again and receive magazin✅es with exclusive cover images and insider secrets. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is streaming on Prime Video from September 2. 

"This was one of Tolkien's debate points with C.S. Lewis, his friend and colleague," co-showrunner Patric🌟k McKay tells of the magazine, which features Lord of💃 the Rings: The Rings of Power on the cover. "It was very important that what he was creating was not an allegory. He was not commenting on historical events of his time or another time. He was not trying to transmit a message that spoke to contemporary politics. He wanted to create a mythos that was timeless, and would be applicable – that was his word, 'applicable' – the applicability across times.

"Every single choice we’ve made at every turn of making this show has been to be faithful to that aspiration, because that’s what we want as viewers. We don’t want to adapt the material in a way that might feel dated. We aspire𝔍 to being timeless. That’s why these books still speak to people so much, because so much of what’s in them has not aged a day. And we aspire to do the same thing. And I think we feel that once people see the show, and see what the stories and characters and worlds are in context, they’ll feel the same way."

Another talking point regarding the series has been about the expedited timeline the ser🦂ies is set across. Rather than have the Second Age run for thousands of years, the showrunners – working with the Tolkien estate – condensed the story, otherwise humans would be dying between episodes (due to their short lifespans) and only Elven characters would be in every season. A non-linear series was considered, but that, McKay explains, would have stopped the audience from emotionally investing in the series. Fellow showrunner Payne points out how plenty of real-life historical dramas do the same thing and says their guiding principle was respect for the "spirit and feeling" of the Second Age.

• and never miss another exclusive

for much more from the cast and crew behind the series in the , featuring our huge TV preview on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:House of the Dragon, Andor, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Mandalorian season 3, and so much more. 

The magazine reaches shelves on July 26 and will be available to . Or 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查ꦦ询:subscribe and never miss an issue again and receive magazines with exclusive cover images and insider secrets. ꦓThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is streaming on Prime Video from September 2. 

"When we first went up for the job, we were told there were literally dozens of other people who were also throwing their hat in the ring, and everyone was coming in with different things," he tells of the magazine, which features Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on the cover. "Am🏅azon bought the rꦕights to the trilogy, the appendices, and The Hobbit. They said the field was wide open – any story within that material, you could tell. So you had people pitching the Young Aragon show, or the Gimli spinoff, or other kinds of things."

Along with fellow writer Patrick McKay, the duo set about planning something that would be ambitious ꧑and whet Amazon's appetite. 

"They wanted to make something that felt worthy of Tolkien," ﷺPayne continues. "And as we really thought about it, and culled through the material, and saw all different kind of stories – that story of the Second Age, so the Dark Lord Sauron, and the Fall of Númenor, and the fight against Sauron at Mount Doom. That arc of the major Second Age events felt like such an amazing, untold story."

The pair set about plann𝕴ing the show's arch, looking at the "trail of breadcrumbs" that author J.R.R. Tolkien left behind, as McKay puts it. "I dare say that if something clicked, it’s that the stories are good because♔ they are from him," he adds.

• and never miss another exclusive

Read more from the cast and crew behind the series in the , featuring our huge TV preview on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:House of the Dragon, Andor, 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:The Mandalorian season 3, and so much more. 

The magazine reaches shelves on July 26 and will be available to . Or 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:suꦰbscribe and never miss an issue again and receive magazines with e𝐆xclusive cover images and insider secrets. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is streaming on Prime Video fro💖m September 2. 

Now, you may be wondering how Otto returns as the character, seeing as the new movie – full title The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim – is set 183 years before the eventsไ of the main trilogy. Éowyn won't be🐽 a central character, but the narrator of this tale.

The protagonist, Helm Hammerhand, will be voiced by Succession's Brian Cox. initially reported the news and revealed the movie's synopsis: "A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg – a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Hera [voiceꦰd by Gaia Wise], the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead tꦿhe resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction."

The ensemble voice cast also includes Lorraine Ashbourne (Bridgerton), Yazdan Qafouri (I Came By), Benjamin Wainwright (World on Fire), Laurence Ubong Williams (Gateway), Shaun Dooley (The Witcher), Michael Wildman (Hobbs & Shaw), Jude Akuwudike (Beasts of No Nation), Bilal Hasna (BBC’s Sparks) and Janine Duvitski (Benidorm). Kenji Kamiy♉ama, who recently directed an episode of Star Wars Visions, will, ehem, helm⛦ the animated film. Philippa Boyens, who was a co-writer on the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, serves as a producer. Animation work is currently ongoing, and a release date of April 12, 2024 has been announced.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will reach cinemas after The Rings of Power, the Amazon Prime Video series, debuts later this year. For more, check out our guide to the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best shows on Amazon Prime right now.

Things you won't see in these ac𒉰tual, physic🍌al photos - you remember photos, right? - include: green screens, actors wearing silly costumes meant to track their bodies so CG can be layered over them in post, actors pretend-fighting an invisible monster, or .

Not that the original LotR trilogy didn't use any CG of course; bu🌸t looking at these photos, it's hard to deny the comparative real-ness of it all, whether i🐼t's Bloom wrapped in a blanket next to a chilly river, or the body doubles hiking over rocky hills. The only thing that looks fake? Bloom's face. Either that guy has aged marvelously well, or he really is an immortal elf.

Man, now I really feel old.

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Don’t get me wrong. There is plenty to praise in the LOTR trilogy: its epic sweep, universe creation and teeth-rattling battles are beyond qu🐬estion. But it also has some serious flaws that loom over it like Mount Doom. 

Now the Hobbit trilogy isn’t perfect (allegations of over-staying its welcome are valid, as Desolation and Five Armies prove). But An Unexpected Journey, taken on its own, is an altogether tighte🧜r tale that tackles the cinematic sins of LOTR he♏ad on. 

Firstly, Journey is joyfully unburdened by portentous drivel. It’s a cleaner narrative which only touches lightly on the darkness to come, and is all the better fo♊r it. So instead of endless scenes of elves muttering about “a shadow in the East” (which, by the way, sounds slightly xenophobic) we have an earthy clan of dwarves on a mission to reclaim their home. It’s grounded, relatable and – crucially – fun.   

Secondly, and connected to the above, the pacing is focused and taut. Where LOTR was at times so turgid it limped on like a mortally wounded Ent, Journey zips with a propulsive sense of adventure. And thirdly, the performances are better. Gone is Elijah Wood’s slappable Frodo, who spends 11 hours sta🅰rring into the distance wi🍸th his eyes wide and mouth agape. Instead we have Martin Freemen being effortlessly charming as Bilbo: a much more assured central performance in which to anchor proceedings. We keep McKellen (always excellent) and get more Serkis as Gollum (yesssss!). 

Oh, and Orlando 🀅Bloom isn’t in this one, which frankly counts as something of a relief. Clearly, Journey really is the best Middle-earth movie, the one film to rule them all🃏… or is it just me? 

Each month argues a polarising movie opinion and gives you the opportunity to agree/disagree/tell us we’re mad. Let us know what you think about this one in the comments below and read on for more. 

Are the best performances the unshowy ones? argues Philip Kemp

Should we stop using 'fanfiction' as a putdown? argues Kevin Harley

Are there better King adaptations than Shawshank Redemption? argues Dan Seddon

Return of the King does an incredible job of building up to it. It starts much earlier, with the lighting of the beacons, which is easily my second-favourite bit in the film. I can hear that music as I t🀅ype this. I know it’s just panning shots of mountains and CG bonfires, but Howard Shore’s score - trying saying that after a flagon of Rohan ale - gives it an almost celestial significance. It helps that my favourite bits in Tolkien’s books are the page-long descriptions of mountains (I’m a sucker for a handsome prominence),💧 but I love it primarily because it sets in motion the events that lead to the best cavalry charge in the history of cinema. And yes, I have seen Dino de Laurentiis’s Waterloo.

The film is paced well enough that you almost forget that Theoden of Rohan is on his way t𒀰o lift the siege of Gondor. There are enough twisting subplots in the city itself to narrow your focus to what’s happening behind the gates - Gandalf is rushing to stop Faramir from being burned alive when the Rohirrim finally arrive. 

Now, Peter Jackson doesn’t agree with me, but I think this moment works best in the extended edition, when the Witch King of Angmar interrupts Gandalf, knocks him off Shadowfax and shatters his𒀰 staff. Gandalf the White, who until this point has had a magical answer to every question, is brought low by an enemy who seems unstoppable. “Do you not know death when you see it, old man? You have failed. The world of men will fall...” There’s enough fear in Ian McKellen’s eyes to make you believe it. And then, at the moment when everything seems utterly lost, you hear it; a lone horn, ringing in the near distance. Rohan has answered the call. 

When I first saw this, I only had one thought in my head: they cannot win. Theoden only just survived Helm’s Deep. But suddenly, faced with odds that can only lead to ruin, he begins to act like a king. The theme of Rohan, which has sounded like a lament for two entire films, subtly changes as Theoden belts out his speech. There’s a moment of acceptance in theꦰ faces of Eowyn and Merry. They know they’re about to die, but they’re no longer afraid. After a huge, screaming surge, they advance towards a host that until ♛now has shown no fear whatsoever. “Ride to ruin, and the world’s ending!” It’s the final act of a people about to be destroyed, just like the Anglo Saxons that inspired them. 

Arrows fly towards the Rohirrim, and pikes are lowered to skewer charging horses. It should slow them, but they barely notice. The music builds, and the charge gets faster. Gothmog, the orc commander so unafraid of death that he literally spits on trebuchet projectiles, barks a panicked “fire at will!’. It’s met with even💫 more vehement cries of “death!”. Somehow, when you think the charge can’t get any faster, it does. The orcs turn to flee, and you know that Rohan has done it. It builds to a crescendo of guttural, clashing violence - the sort of movie momen♐t when you can feel the blood pumping behind your eyes. 

This is the best bit in Return of the King. It loses its way slightly after this - thanks to swarms of glowing green ghosts, multiple endings, those bloody eagles - but it barely matters. It delivers a level of satisfaction which is deeply, lastingly nourishing, and it’s the part I look forward to most whenever I start my annual viewing of the trilogy. In an era where action set-pieces in blockbusters feel increasingly like clinical, CG rollercoasters with zero emotional engagement, the ride of the Rohi𝄹rrim🐭 moves me every time I see it. 

The Best Bit focuses on the special moments, scenes, and elements of movies and TV that make them worth watching. It arrives every Wednesday at 0900 PST / 1700 GMT. Follow @gamesradar on Twitter for updates.

Such is ꦺthe level of detail lavished on the extras of this extended edition of Peter Jackson’s latest Middle-earth adventure that there’s a 25-minute feature devoted entirely to the development of Beorn, the fearsome bear-man. The feature documents careful research undertaken by the team at WETA , intimate knowledge of the text and its influences, a comprehensive design process, and dozens of considered decisions all leading to the character’s final form. And then… that final form misses the mark anyway, all good intentions and Rod-Stewart-in-the-woods regret.

There’s a point here somewhere – that even a very talented group of people, making intelligent decisions, can still make imperfect things. Beorn’s bear mullet and Lemmy mutton-chops are a microcosm of The Desolation Of Smaug as a whole, a film which, the bonus material makes clear🐎, was the site of the stretching and wrangled invent♛ion made necessary when Jackson’s originally planned two films became three.

Somehow watching behind-the-scenes footage of the crew confronting the problem of what to put in this empty mid-trilogy space crystalises the film’s lack of urgency, its episodic progression, its emptily impressive action sequences. It underlines the niggle we all felt watching An Unexpected Journey: The Hobbit might be a comprehensive telling – and then some – but The Lord Of The Rings was a more elegant, disciplined adaptation.

The knock-on effect for this edition specifically is one of surplus value. Generally the extras here are of the same high quality usually provided by Jackson’s Tolkien double-dips, enormously detailed and extraordinarily long (the footage of making the film is over twice as long as the film itself). With the TLOTR trilogy these editions became a way of submerging ourselves in the world for a little longer, sinking into the production and absorbing everything we could. The Hobbit might not have the quality of the original films, but there’s still that magic, that sense of indulgence (and, somehow, Christmas) about this set.

And yet, the extra minutes included here – 25 of them – don’t feel as valuable as the added running time of Jackson’s old films. This isn’t necessarily down to the specifics of the scenes included (lots of slapstick dwarf stuff that won’t be missed, but also a major character lore-lovers will enjoy a glimpse of) so much as the capacity of the film itself to include any more stuff. The Lord Of The Rings felt like an epic condensed into and barely contained by three films, and the chance to see more, the material they just didn’t have room for, felt like a treat. The Hobbit feels like – is – a s🔯lighter story, stretched, and stretching it further only makes this more obvious.

Extras

• New/extended scenes
• Appendices
• Commentary

The third and final Hobbit film has been given a shiny new title courtesy of director Peter Jackson, who has announced that the film will now be called The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies .

That makes perfect sense considering the plot of the third film, which should essentially be one giant battle sequence as the hobbits, goblins, elves and men all go up against🐲 one another for one epic scrap.

Frankly, it's far superior to the working title of There And Back Again – and apparently Jackson decided on the change after w⛦atching a cut of the film.

"When we did the premiere trip late last year, I had a quiet conversation with the studio about the idea of rev❀isiting the title," he revealed on Facebook.

"We decided to keep an open mind until a cut of the film was ready to look at. We reached that point last week, and after viewi🀅ng the movie, we all agreed there is now one title that feels complete🌠ly appropriate."

So that's two great bits of news – a new title, and the film's꧋ already coming togethཧer. Expect the CGI wizards to start their portion of the heavy lifting round about... now...

The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies opens in the UK on 12 December 2014.

The sequel’s MVP, Smaug, was the character that everyone was looking forward to meeting from the moment that the film was greenlit. His creation is documented in new book, Smaug: Unleashing The Dragon , and we had Gino Acevedo, Weta Digital’s Creative Art Director and Textures Supervisor, talk us through how they built the mighty firebreather from concept drawing to millions of digital scales.

THE LITTLE THINGS
“The Textures Department do all of the fine details like the scars and the colouration. On the team we had John Howe [ legendary Middle-earth illustrator ] who’s been chasing this dragon for longer than anybody. I’m a bit of a fanboy, so b꧑eing able to work so closely with him was amazing: we called ourselves ‘Team Smaug’ꦯ.

“John said that he really didn’t want to overdesign it. The whole design process was very true to [ Tolkien’s ] books.”

REAL-WORLD INFLUENCES
“Nobody does it better than Mother Nature, so references were based on real creatures: lizards, alligators, crocodile🎶s and snakes, plus a lot of different creatures for colouration. Sequence Supervisor Eric Sai💮ndon even found a red cowboy boot that had exactly the kind of buffed specularity – not too shiny, but not too dull.

“Benedict Cumberbatch’s casting didn’t influence the design, but it was really interesting with his voice – and they captured some of his 🦄movements in Smaug’s animation: you can tell that he’s really into it.”

MAJOR REDESIGNS
“A lot of things have to be worked out logically, like, ‘how is this creature going to move?’ ‘Can his arms bend correctly?’ ‘Will his wings work?’ When he came to us the first time, Smaug had four legs, and then finally Peter [ Jackson ] just said, ‘Hmm, I wonder what he’d look like with two legs?’ And as always, Peter knows best, and he looked great. That redesign really made him feel more animal-like, and a lot more powerful. In the first film when he was rendered, he’s obviously a four-legged beast, and so for the extended DVD, we went back in and fixed him with the two legs.”

EARLY SKETCHES
“It all starts out with a pencil and a bit of paper🍸, 🐎the old traditional way. And once something finally starts to get locked down, it goes through what we call the ‘noodling’ stage, where it gets picked apart. Then, finally, it gets handed over to us at Weta Digital for 3D modelling and texturing.

“We took those interpretations and added more details on top of that. We really wanted to have the feel of the scales and the skin to be very realistic, but very natural, so we didn’t want to just multiply everything in a computer. My team are still going through a bit of therapy after hand-drawing over a million scales...”

INTO THE LIGHT
“In some of the first🐓 renders that we ever did of Smaug he was quite vibrant – a brilliant red – and Peter saw those and said, ‘Nah, he looks too much like a fresh baby dragon, he needs to look ancient.’ And that’s where Peter started bringing in some of the details. He said, ‘What about so🌞me scars, like maybe at one time he had battled another dragon from a long time ago?’

“A lot of tears were shed on this project because we spent all this time on all this detail, and then we saw the finishe꧑d shots... and it was r꧙eally dark in his cave!

“Obviously there’s going to be lots of fire in There And Back Again . So I think there’s going to be some really beautiful shots of Smaug in there. Just to be able to see the glow from the fire and the reflection on his skin... I’m really, really looking forward to that.”

[ Click on any image to see a larger version ]

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug is available now on DVD, Blu-ray and 3D Blu-ray. Images and concept designs extracted from Smaug: Unleashing The Dragon by Daniel Falconer, published by HarperCollins. The Hobbit: There And Back Again opens 12 December 2014.