Tag: Lord of The Rings

'Lord Of The Rings': Writer/Producer Philippa Boyens Open To Exploring More Middle-Earth Stories With Anime Beyond 'War Of The Rohirrim'
Posted on in Film News, News

‘Lord Of The Rings’: Writer/Producer Philippa Boyens Open To Exploring More Middle-Earth Stories With Anime Beyond ‘War Of The Rohirrim’

With “The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power” chugging along its five-season commitment at Amazon Prime Video. a new live-action movie in the works at New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. with Andy Serkis reprising the Gollum role and taking on directing duties (after handling second unit directing on “The Hobbit” films) that takes place before the events of “The Fellowship of The Rings,” and a second mysterious pic that was dismissed as a second part to “The Hunt For Gollum.” Even more Middle-Earth tales could be coming to beyond all that if audiences are keen for it.

Rodrigo Perez of The Playlist recently spoke with Philippa Boyens (“Lord of The Rings” & “The Hobbit” trilogies), co-writer and producer of the feature film franchise and the new anime film “The Lord of The Rings: The War of The Rohirrim,” and she revealed that more anime adaptations could be on the table.

“There’s a lot of [possibilities], when you look at it, there’s a lot of things in there, actually,” Boyens told The Playlist about adapting more Middle-Earth stories using the medium of anime. “One of the things this [‘War of The Rohirrim’] story has shown us is that a stand-alone story works really successfully within the world of Middle-earth and I would genuinely—because I’ve fallen in love with the form—love to see another anime. But that depends on the audiences out there, your audience, fans of not only the original trilogy but that vast anime audience. I’m really interested to see what they think.”

That’s certainly a positive update from Boyens about future adaptations and should give fans/audiences a bit of hope that everyone involved seems to be invested in more Middle-Earth projects for years to come. Given the appendices allows for more stories to tell, they don’t seem to be short on ideas.

I had personally heard that the producing team was mulling over more anime adaptations, but the studio (that bankrolls projects) would specifically need to see a decent reaction to their animation experiment with “Rohirrim” before making any official announcements. Given the talk that “Rohirrim” was made for under $100 million, there is certainly wiggle room for the film over the holiday season and new year to hit a box office target needed to make the studio/producers comfortable enough with subsequent releases.

Some might remember that “Furiosa,” the “Mad Max: Fury Road” prequel released earlier in the year by Warner Bros., was originally planned as an anime film, but was reworked as a live-action one in the end. There is a chance that if “Rohirrim” is successful enough more than Tolkien’s adventures could be used in the medium, but also George Miller’s third “Wasteland” epic could be told in that way as well.

“The War of The Rohirrim” directed by Kenji Kamiyama is heading exclusively to theaters on December 13, and “The Hunt For Gollum” is expected to be ready sometime in 2026 (an actual date has yet to be announced by the studio).

SOURCE: THE PLAYLIST

Philippa Boyens Confirms Second Live-Action 'Lord Of The Rings' Movie In Development Different From 'The Hunt For Gollum'
Posted on in Film News, News

Philippa Boyens Confirms Second Live-Action ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Movie In Development Different From ‘The Hunt For Gollum’

We’re months away from “The Lord of The Rings” making a grand return to the big screen with “The War of Rohirrim” galloping into theaters in December. But we’re now learning that “Lord of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum” from director Andy Serkis (who oversaw second-unit work on “The Hobbit” trilogy) not only won’t be a two-part story as previously suggested but producers/New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Pictures are quietly developing a second but different live-action film as well.

The update hails from longtime franchise co-writer and producer Philippa Boyens, who explained recently to Empire Magazine that they’re not making two movies out of “The Hunt For Gollum.” Another film entirely is in the works and has yet to be officially announced by studio.

Boyens said, “I can tell you definitively it isn’t two films! “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.”

What that second film is going to be about and who will appear I’m sure is going to be speculated on until we get some concrete details from the studio and the producing team. We wouldn’t be all that surprised if Ian McKellen’s Gandalf would be involved, given the plausibility that his character will become the connective tissue for these next two films to the previous trilogies.

“The Hunt For Gollum” is expected to begin shooting next year with a tentative to-be-announced release date in 2026. The new film has a script penned by Boyens and Fran Walsh alongside Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (the duo recently worked on “Rohirrim”).

“It’s quite an intense story, which falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines Of Moria,” Boyens explained about where “The Hunt For Gollum” takes place in the timeline. “It’s a specific chunk of incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Photo Gallery

This likely means we’ll be seeing the return of the Nazgul as Gollum is tortured by Mordor’s faction, and it’s why the nine are led to the Shire to find the One Ring.

“Lord of The Rings: The War of Rohirrim” is heading to theaters on December 13.

SOURCE: EMPIRE MAGAZINE

Posted on in Film News

WB Making New Middle-Earth Films With Peter Jackson Kept In The Loop About The Deal

Yesterday, it was announced in a joint press statement by Warner Bros. Pictures and Embracer Group that they’ve reached a brand new deal for New Line Cinema to continue to make feature films based on the work on Professor J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings. Expanding the existing cinematic universe, although, the announcement failed to mention what exact source material they’ll be adapting or what those new movies will look like. This comes after the studio is about to release an animated film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim on April 12, 2024 and last year Amazon released their first of five seasons of their Middle-Earth streaming series, Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power. So, there was plenty of Middle-Earth material being released beyond live-action feature films.

The previous six feature films (set during The Third Age) were directed, produced, and co-written by filmmaker Peter Jackson. Interestingly enough, on the heels of the announcement Deadline was able to get a direct quote from Jackson, where he said that the two companies have kept himself alongside his producing/writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens in the loop about the deal.

“Warner Brothers and Embracer have kept us in the loop every step of the way,” the Oscar-winning trio said. “We look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward.”

I can’t really imagine that Jackson has the stomach to direct any more Middle-Earth adventures after he was forced to helm The Hobbit trilogy after Guillermo del Toro exited over scheduling issues to focus on Pacific Rim. However, potentially producing or writing new live-action films might be appealing as it would bring more business to Wellington, New Zeeland’s Stone Street Studios and Weta Digital/Workshop.

There is plenty of source material to pull from if they attempt to craft movies around the legends/tidbits that Tolkien sprinkled throughout his books or the expanded material published by his son Christopher Tolkien after his death. Personally, I could see tackling The Dark Lord Morgoth and The First Age (teased in The Rings of Power) as very much worthwhile adapting into a third trilogy of films unless the studio wants to move forward beyond with The Fourth Age. There are also other unexplored portions of the Middle-Earth mythology we haven’t seen on the big-screen like the two Blue Wizards and territories of the Easterlings.

SOURCE: WARNER BROS. & DEADLINE

Posted on in News

‘Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’: The Second Age of Middle-Earth Revealed With Amazon Series First-Look Trailer

After an extensive in-depth look at Amazon’s billion-dollar series set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic fantasy world of Middle-Earth with Vanity Fair’s preview, the streaming giant has launched the first-look footage with a trailer for Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power.

The show takes place in the Second Age, many many years before the Peter Jackson films that took place in the Third Age. Established characters in the show include Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), Elrond (Robert Aramayo), Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), Isildur (Maxim Baldry), and The Dark Lord Sauron is expected to be the looming threat as he is the “Lord” referred to in the title.

Sauron with the help of Elf smith Celebrimbor created and gifted the Rings of Power.

Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

The Rings of Power will debut on September 2nd.

Posted on in News

Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital Renamed WetaFX After Tech Assets Are Sold For $1.625 Billion To Unity

In a massive deal, Peter Jackson has sold the tech assets and name of his effects company Weta Digital to Unity Software for a hefty $1.625 billion. This deal doesn’t mean that Weta won’t have an effects division as Jackson’s company will stay separate from the deal and has been renamed/rebranded as WetaFX.

Unity’s acquired company, the tech assets of Weta, will be titled Weta Digital, while Peter Jackson’s Weta visual effects business will remain separate under the banner of WetaFX.

On the tech side, with this transaction Unity acquires Weta’s 275 engineers and proprietary technology including Weta’s cloud service and tools including Manuka and Gazebo renderers, Barbershop hair and fur system, Loki physics-based simulation tool for water and smoke; and facial capture technology.

Weta Digital, now called WetaFX, has been a pioneer of digital effects alongside fellow VFX house Industrial Light & Magic. They’re known for working on films such as The Lord of The Rings, The Hobbit, King Kong, multiple pics in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and DCEU.

It’s nice to know that Weta’s effects division will continue under Jackson’s oversight and won’t stop doing visual effects for films/television, something that might have confused fans that maybe only read headlines about the deal.

Below is the original press release.

Unity (NYSE: U), the world’s leading platform for creating and operating interactive, real-time 3D (RT3D) content, announced today it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Weta Digital’s tools, pipeline, technology, and engineering talent. Ultimately, this acquisition is designed to put Weta’s incredibly exclusive and sophisticated visual effects (VFX) tools into the hands of millions of creators and artists around the world, and once integrated onto the Unity platform, enable the next generation of RT3D creativity and shape the future of the metaverse.


Weta Digital will join Unity’s Create Solutions focused on the continual evolution of Weta Digital’s dozens of proprietary graphics and VFX tools, such as Manuka, Lumberjack, Loki, Squid, Barbershop, HighDef, CityBuilder, and many more. In the future, with Unity’s deep expertise in real-time, these world-class artist tools will be available to creators through an accessible cloud-based workflow.

Weta Digital’s Academy Award-Winning VFX teams will continue to exist as a standalone entity known as WetaFX and is expected to become Unity’s largest customer in the Media and Entertainment space. WetaFX will still be under majority ownership by Sir Peter Jackson and helmed by CEO Prem Akkaraju.

SOURCE: WETA

Posted on in News, Television News

Filming On ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Officially Moves From New Zealand To UK: Production On Season 2 Begins In 2022

Filming on Season 2 of Amazon’s Lord of The Rings series has officially moving from New Zealand to United Kingdom. Amazon Studios claims that it’s part of their commitment to expand their footprint in the United Kingdom, but failed to mention what facility they’ll be using as the homestead stage location.

Below is the official press release:

Amazon Studios announced today that its untitled The Lord of the Rings original series will film Season Two in the United Kingdom (U.K.). The shift from New Zealand to the U.K. aligns with the studio’s strategy of expanding its production footprint and investing in studio space across the U.K., with many of Amazon Studios’ tentpole series and films already calling the U.K. home.

The highly anticipated The Lord of the Rings series recently wrapped principal photography on Season One in New Zealand and is scheduled to premiere on Prime Video in more than 240 countries around the world on Friday, September 2, 2022.

Season One post production will continue in New Zealand through June 2022, and pre-production on Season Two will begin concurrently in the U.K. after the first of the year.

This should be hugely disappointing to fans hoping that Amazon would keep the series in New Zealand for all five seasons.

The new epic drama brings to screens for the very first time J.R.R. Tolkien’s fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. Beginning in a time of relative peace, thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.

The series is led by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay. They are joined by executive producers Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, J.A. Bayona, Belén Atienza, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Bruce Richmond, and Sharon Tal Yguado. Wayne Che Yip is co-executive producer and directs along with J.A. Bayona and Charlotte Brändström. Christopher Newman is a producer and Ron Ames is a co-producer.

SOURCE: AMAZON

Posted on in News, Television News

Amazon’s ‘Lord Of The Rings’ To Debut Weekly Episodes Starting September 2022; Season 1 Wraps Filming

Amazon made waves when they announced they had secured the television rights to tackle a new Lord of The Rings series, even more incredible have already agreed to a five season commitment which makes it one of the most expensive shows to be ever produced. Lord of The Rings takes place many many years before the events of Peter Jackson’s films, in the Second Age of Middle-Earth.

Season 1 is expected to take place before the rise of The Dark Lord Sauron and Mordor, focusing on multiple ancient kingdoms that eventually fell before the events of The Hobbit/Lord of The Rings. One of the most anticipated elements will be the exploration of the ancient island kingdom of Númeno, J.R.R. Tolkien’s take on the Atlantis myth, a sect of men that would be twisted by Sauron leading to the island to sink into the water.

The new epic drama brings to screens for the very first time J.R.R. Tolkien’s fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. Beginning in a time of relative peace, thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.

Amazon has announced today that Season 1 has wrapped filming in New Zealand and will start airing weekly episodes on September 2, 2022. So we’ll have quite the wait before we get to watch these episodes.

The highly anticipated, yet-to-be titled Amazon Original The Lord of the Rings television series will premiere Friday, September 2, 2022 on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide, with new episodes available weekly. Filming of Season One completed today in New Zealand.

It’s cast consists of Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.

https://twitter.com/LOTRonPrime?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

SOURCE: AMAZON

Posted on in Television News

‘Lord of The Rings’: Amazon Announces ‘The Witcher’s Charlotte Brandstrom Will Direct Two Episodes

Today, Amazon has announced a third director has joined their Lord of The Rings series that has a massive budget of $465 million for Season 1 (five season commitment) and is still shooting down in Auckland, New Zealand. It’s massive budget revealed by trade reports.

The streamer dropped in an officially press release that Swedish-French television director Charlotte Brandstrom (The Witcher, The Man In The High Castle) has joined the fantasy series loosely based on the work of author J.R.R. Tolkien and taking place within the Second Age of Middle-Earth. The era that saw the rise of Sauron after the banishment of the first Dark Lord, Morgorth, the fall of the island kingdom of Númenor, the creation of the Rings of Power, and Sauron’s ultimate defeat (for a time).

She’ll direct two episodes alongside J.A. Bayona and Wayne Che Yip.

Continuing on the work of Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona and British Chinese Director Wayne Che Yip, Brändström joins the international ensemble cast, currently filming in New Zealand, to direct two episodes. Brändström is an International Emmy Award®-nominee for Julie, chevalier de Maupin. She has also directed over 30 feature films, mini-series, and movies-of-the-week including episodes of The Man in the High Castle, Outlander, The Witcher and the upcoming series Jupiter’s Legacy.

Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-Earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

The show’s massive cast includes actors Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Daniel Weyman, Lenny Henry, Peter Mullan (Trainspotting, Children of Men), Lloyd Owen, Augustus Prew, Peter Tait, Benjamin Walker (Heart of The Sea, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Arrow, Power), Simon Merrells, Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Geoff Morrell, Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham, and Sara Zwangobani.

Episodes are expected to begin airing on Prime Video in 2022 and we’re hearing they’ll continue to use Auckland for the production of subsequent seasons.

SOURCE: AMAZON

Posted on in Television News

Season 1 of ‘Lord of The Rings’ Will Cost Amazon $465M – They Spent $11B On Content In 2020

Amazon has been known for throwing around their buyer power for a while now. Last week, it was revealed via CNBC that Amazon had spent a massive $11 billion on content for streaming and music services. It’s a lot of money and it’ll be interesting to see what will come from that spending.

Amazon spent $11 billion on content for its streaming video and music services last year, the company disclosed Thursday in its annual report, the latest sign of the company’s willingness to invest heavily in entertaining Prime members.

On Friday, we learned from The Hollywood Reporter that Lord of The Rings series is going to one of the most expensive shows. The streaming service is spending $465 million on just the first season on the fantasy prequel. There is an expectation with a five season commitment at Prime Video it could end up costing them $2.3 billion if the next four seasons have a similar price tag.

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Amazon will spend roughly NZ$650 million — $465 million in U.S. dollars — for just the first season of the show.

The show’s massive cast includes actors Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Daniel Weyman, Lenny Henry, Peter Mullan (Trainspotting, Children of Men), Lloyd Owen, Augustus Prew, Peter Tait, Benjamin Walker (Heart of The Sea, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Arrow, Power), Simon Merrells, Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Geoff Morrell, Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham, and Sara Zwangobani.

Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-Earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

Filming is taking place in Auckland, New Zealand and is expected to continue to shoot there in follow-up seasons.

SOURCE: CNBC & THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Television News

‘Lord of The Rings’: Wayne Yip Officially Directing 4 Episodes

Filming is still happening in New Zealand on Amazon’s Lord of The Rings series and the streamer has just announced a new director.

Today, it was revealed by Amazon that British director Wayne Yip will be directing four episodes and also nabbed an executive producer credit. Yip joins fellow director J.A. Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), J.A. directed the first two episodes of the fantasy series.

Wayne’s massive amount of credits include Utopia, Doctor Who, Hunters, Misfits, Preacher, and Doom Patrol. The director recently working on Amazon’s The Wheel of Time, another large fantasy world from author Robert Jordan and likely had a lot to do with his hiring for The Lord of The Rings.

They’ve committed to at least five seasons which means Amazon is going to be spending a heap of money on this show. Considering they’ll be covering the The Second Age they have multiple events to cover including the fall of the ancient kingdom of Númenor, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth take on the Atlantis myth. Along with Sauron manipulating various kingdoms in the wake of The Dark Lord Morgoth’s banishment.

Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-Earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

SOURCE: AMAZON