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The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a new animated Lord of the Rings film from director Kenji Kamiyama. It takes place nearly 200 years before The Lord of the Rings story most of us know, and concerns a conflict between the horse-loving people of Rohan — ruled over by Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox) with an assist from his daughter Héra (Gaia Wise) — and a Dunlending lord named Wulf (Luke Pasqualino).

I'm a big Lord of the Rings fan from way back, so I was cautiously interested in this movie. The animation looks a little choppy, I told myself, but if the reviews were good I'd try and see this in the theaters.

Well, the reviews are coming in, and while they could be worse, they're not great. Most critics are pretty blah on the movie. Here's a sampling:

Independent: "The War of the Rohirrim is invested entirely...

The plundering of Jrr Tolkien’s source material continues with this plodding adventure turning a footnote into a film

The rationale for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is not in its artistry. Sure, there’s something lovely and almost tactile in this anime take on Jrr Tolkien, the hand-drawn Japanese styles renovating Middle-earth to suit its tastes. That’s not justification enough to sit through a plodding and joyless spin-off, the latest in content mined from Tolkien’s books following Peter Jackson’s Rings and The Hobbit trilogies and an Amazon prequel series now in its second season.

For those already battling Tolkien fatigue, brace yourselves for a new batch of movies beginning with Andy Serkis’s The Hunt for Gollum. This is just where limitless IP plundering intersecting with the limited imagination in an industry chasing algorithms has gotten us. And by that math,...

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an original anime which arrives in theaters this weekend. In the movie, we'll return to Middle-earth for a story revealing the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan.

As with any sort set in the iconic world previously brought to life in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (based on the revered books by J.R.R. Tolkien), expectations are high.

Those have been raised thanks to Peter Jackson's return as producer; Kamiyama (Blade Runner: Black Lotus) is in the director's chair and the movie has generated a lot of excitement among fans of Middle-earth since first being announced.

However, as we first reported on SFFGazette.com, while the first wave of reviews may be described best as "mid," longtime fans of this world are likely to find something to love.

As usual, we'll start with the trades.

When I think of the new animated movie “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” I think of the words of the legendary public speaker Bilbo Baggins, who probably would have described it like this: “I like half of it half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of it half as well as it deserves.”

Mr. Baggins was a harsh critic, but he knew how to turn a phrase. His famous quote from “The Fellowship of the Ring” cleverly articulates that something isn’t very good while simultaneously allowing that some of it may be okay, and you’re just too annoyed to care. “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” is an underwhelming production with hit-and-miss animation (mostly miss) and largely generic performances, and yet it’s not a complete washout.

“The War of the Rohirrim” is...

Of all the blockbusters to receive the never-ending franchise revival treatment, "The Lord of the Rings" was always going to be the toughest nut to crack. Prime Video found this out the hard way with their "The Rings of Power" streaming series, seemingly unprepared for the feedback from a (let's call it passionate) fanbase that might as well have multiple PhDs in J.R.R. Tolkien apologia and never take kindly to deviations from established canon. And as anyone who sat through the mind-numbing "The Hobbit" trilogy can attest, we've already seen what happens when the fine line between art and commerce isn't merely crossed, but obliterated. In that sense, Middle-earth is the furthest thing from the mystical realm of Shambhala, blissfully isolated from Hollywood getting its grubby little hands on it. It's over a decade too late for that, I'm afraid.

So it falls upon "The War of the Rohirrim" to...

Long before Peter Jackson took a swing at “The Lord of the Rings,” audiences got a glimpse into the fantasy realm of J.R.R. Tolkien via a trio of late-’70s animated projects: two animated TV specials produced by Rankin/Bass (of which “The Hobbit” remains fairly well liked) and a dark and ominous big-screen feature from Ralph Bakshi (director of sci-fi psych-out “Wizards”). So there’s not just precedent, but a certain kind of poetry to Jackson and screenwriter Philippa Boyens commissioning an intense, hand-drawn extension to the existing mythology, like the one represented by “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.”

When I say “poetry,” I suppose I’m referring to the kind you might find at your local Renaissance festival, accompanied by pipe music and a handful of costumed eccentrics doing a jig. The real selling point of “The War of the Rohirrim” is not that it’s animated,...

Gilmore Girls still remains a beloved TV show, despite being off the air for years.

If you don’t know, the smash-hit series ran from 2000-2007. Every fall, the show sees a surge in streaming numbers due to the show’s lovely autumn atmosphere and cozy vibes. The series starred Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Kelly Bishop, Edward Herrmann, Scott Patterson, Milo Ventimiglia, Jared Padalecki, Matt Czuchry, and others.

Well, ever since Netflix rebooted the show in 2016′s Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, fans have wanted more.

Lauren was asked about a potential spinoff.

Keep reading to find out more…

She offered up 1 idea she thinks could work: “You could do the high school Lorelai.”

“We’re talking about this as if it’s like The Hobbit or something, which I’m not sure it is. But I think the way other universes have dealt with that question is just going back or forward,...

Peter Jackson once ruled Middle-earth, but his return with The Hobbit trilogy? Let’s just say the magic didn’t quite make it to the Shire. Looking back, even Jackson admitted he had doubts before diving in, yet he pressed on — and the result left fans and critics scratching their heads. What was meant to be an epic prequel turned into an overstretched trilogy that couldn’t recapture the brilliance of The Lord of the Rings.

Peter Jackson. | Credit: image by: Mike Walen, licenced under Cca-by-sa-3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

From pacing problems to over-reliance on CGI, Jackson’s instincts might’ve saved him. Instead, The Hobbit became the saga that tarnished a legacy once considered untouchable.

From Masterpiece to Misstep: How The Hobbit Challenged Peter Jackson’s Legacy A still from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Peter Jackson knew stepping back into Middle-earth was a gamble.

Viggo Mortensen – one of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy’s stars – has an open invitation to return for the planned prequel film.

If there’s one thing that Jrr Tolkien loved it’s an appendix. His legendary trilogy of genre-defining fantasy novels, The Lord Of The Rings, featured many, many appendices which added detail to the world of Middle-earth.

With Tolkien’s trilogy of books having received their own definitive film adaptations courtesy of director Peter Jackson and lots and lots of talented collaborators in the early 2000s, any future stories based in Jackson’s spin on Middle-earth are going to stem from the details and narrative threads that Tolkien left in those numerous nuggets of story.

One such story thread is the hunt for Gollum, a piece of Middle-earth mythology that fans know about but only exists canonically in the faintest of detail. The events concern Aragorn’s...

The upcoming "The Hunt for Gollum" movie from Warner Bros. has been stirring up interest and intrigue from the moment it was announced earlier this year. Overall, the reaction has been positive, and there has been a general buzz as news leaked that the movie will be directed by Andy Serkis and have Peter Jackson and other Middle-earth alumni on board. British national treasure Ian McKellen also revealed that he had been approached to reprise his role as Gandalf, and John Rhy-Davies even expressed interest in a return (sans makeup).

Despite all of these fun developments, the most recent bit of news regarding potential casting takes the cake. The powers that be are talking with the man himself, Viggo Mortensen, to return as Aragorn. In an interview with The Playlist, writer Philippa Boyens said that she, Peter Jackson, and Fran Walsh (collectively referred to as the "brain trust" of the...

The tales of Helm Hammerhand are true. Before you return to Middle-earth, Warner Bros. Pictures has brought online an extended preview of New Line Cinema’s The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

The New Line Cinema anime feature returns audiences to the epic world brought to life in The Lord of the Rings trilogy based on the revered books by J.R.R. Tolkien. Rated PG-13 for strong violence, the film will open in theaters on December 13.

Under the direction of award-winning filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama (the Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex TV series), the voice cast is led by Brian Cox (Succession) as Helm Hammerhand, the mighty King of Rohan; Gaia Wise (A Walk in the Woods) as his daughter Héra; and Luke Pasqualino (Snowpiercer) as Wulf.

Miranda Otto, who delivered an unforgettable, award-winning performance in The Lord of the Rings trilogy,...

Yesterday, Sony Pictures was mocked by many for releasing the opening 8 minutes of Kraven the Hunter. It was deemed a "desperate" move to increase interest in the studio's latest Marvel movie which shares a release date - December 13 - with The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

Warner Bros. Discovery has today responded by releasing the first 8 minutes of its animated prequel (via SFFGazette.com), offering fans a better idea of what to expect from this adventure.

In The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, an original anime feature being released in theaters by New Line Cinema, we'll return to Middle-earth, the iconic world previously brought to life in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, based on the revered books by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The impressive voice cast is led by Brian Cox (Succession) as Helm Hammerhand, the mighty King of Rohan; Gaia Wise (A Walk in the Woods...

December 2024 won’t have a lot of Christmas movies on Max, but there are still some exciting releases to look forward to. Dcu is finally starting with Creature Commandos, coming out on December 5. DC fans will also enjoy the documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. And to top it off, the classic favorite The Goonies will also be available!

Here is the list of every movie & TV show arriving on Max this December!

Arriving on December 1

Cedar Rapids (movie)

Clash of the Titans (movie)

Cop Out (movie)

Death Race (movie)

Glee The 3D Concert Movie (movie)

Hamlet 2 (movie)

How I Live Now (movie)

Invisible Stripes (movie)

It All Came True (movie)

Jupiter Ascending (movie)

Key Largo (movie)

Kid Galahad (movie)

King of the Underworld (movie)

Lightning Strikes Twice (movie)

Lord of the Rings (movie)

Man from God’s Country (movie)

Marine Raiders (movie)

Marked Woman (movie)

Meet Me in St. Louis...

December 2024 won’t bring that many Christmas titles to Max. Still, there are some interesting titles we can look forward to. Dcu finally kicks off with the release of Creature Commandos on December 5.

Furthermore, DC fans will also be pleased with the release of the documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. To spice things up, fan-favorite The Goonies also arrives on the platform!

Here is the list of every movie & TV show arriving on Max this December!

Arriving on December 1

Cedar Rapids (movie)

Clash of the Titans (movie)

Cop Out (movie)

Death Race (movie)

Glee The 3D Concert Movie (movie)

Hamlet 2 (movie)

How I Live Now (movie)

Invisible Stripes (movie)

It All Came True (movie)

Jupiter Ascending (movie)

Key Largo (movie)

Kid Galahad (movie)

King of the Underworld (movie)

Lightning Strikes Twice (movie)

Lord of the Rings (movie)

Man from God’s Country (movie)

Marine Raiders (movie)

Marked Woman (movie)

Meet Me in St.

Winter is Coming is already your go-to place for all things fantasy and sci-fi, so why not trust us with your 2024 holiday gift list, too? We’ve got clothing, collectibles, and everything in between from some of your favorite established franchises (and those you’ve yet to discover).

We’re confident you’ll be able to find something at every price point to fit the wants and needs of all the nerdy loved ones in your life. So have a look through and get ready for the most unique season of gift-giving you’ve ever experienced. Who knows? You might even discover something to treat yourself with while you’re at it!

For the folks in your life who still haven’t read J.R.R. Tolkien’s finest work

Starting off with an all-timer, we’ve got this four-volume, pocket-sized box set of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic works. It features...

Movies get made for a million reasons: Artistic ambition; the allure of a perfect story intersecting with a receptive brain; the urge for two passionate creators to collaborate on something great. And, of course, for money. The pursuit of blockbuster dreams, films that fill thousands of theaters, the adulation of...

Netflix's monster-hunting fantasy show The Witcher is in the middle of a very interesting transition. The shows third season marked the final time that actor Henry Cavill will play lead character Geralt of Rivia; when The Witcher returns for season 4, it'll be Liam Hemsworth under the white wig. We're at a point in Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher books where the narrative shifts focus away from Geralt and centers Princess Ciri (Freya Allan) for the back half of the saga as some very weird, multiversal meta elements rise to the forefront. It'll be very curious to see how fans react to these changes when The Witcher season 4 drops on Netflix.

One person who's not particularly concerned is Graham McTavish, who plays the Redanian spymaster Sigismund Dijkstra. McTavish is a seasoned actor who's appeared in tons of genre fare, including Outlander, House of the Dragon, The Hobbit movies, and even the...

When we think of The Lord of the Rings adaptations, Peter Jackson's seminal live-action trilogy immediately comes to mind. The trilogy swept the Oscars, with The Return of the King even claiming the elusive Best Picture award. The Middle-earth franchise would continue to grow with The Hobbit trilogy, and most recently Prime Video is seeing success with its prequel series The Rings of Power.

But decades before these live-action projects, in 1978, Ralph Bakshi created his very own animated movie based on J.R.R. Tolkien's famous book series. Bakshi's Lord of the Rings film wasn't without its controversies: for instance, the story remained unfinished; it only covers The Fellowship of the Rings and some of The Two Towers. Even so, in my humble opinion, it's one of the most charming films ever made. There are so many randomly placed comedic beats, like when Gandalf decides to frighten Sam for literally no reason whatsoever.

Right now we're in the long night between new seasons of HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon. The show's second season wrapped up this past summer with a finale that set the stage for several big events in the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, with a Triarchy fleet setting sail for the Gullet to break Corlys Velaryon's blockade on King's Landing and armies on the move in the Riverlands and the Reach. When House of the Dragon returns for season 3, it'll kick off in spectacular fashion.

It will also include at least one familiar face who sat out season 2: Ser Harrold Westerling, the former Lord Commander of the Kingsguard played by Outlander star Graham McTavish. In George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood, Westerling dies before the Dance of the Dragons kicks off, but House of the Dragon opted to...

Rumors have been floating that Amazon's The Wheel of Time series might be in danger. The YouTube channel WoT Up reported that people involved in production seemed worried the show might not be extended beyond the third season, which is due out next year.

This seems nonsensical, but considering how little Amazon has supported The Wheel of Time, it shouldn't be surprising. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power seems to be the favorite child for the streaming service as far as fantasy genre shows go.

Why has The Wheel of Time not received the love it deserves?

There are a couple of reasons why The Wheel of Time should get more support from Amazon than it does. For one, it costs way less to make than The Rings of Power. Michael Nordine of Variety reported that The Rings of Power costs about $58 million per episode to produce.

Warner Bros. unveiled a new featurette on the upcoming The Lord Of the Rings: The War Of Rohirrim anime on Nov 26, 2024.

The behind-the-scenes featurette features director Kenji Kamiyama, producers Philippa Boyens, Jason DeMarco, and Joseph Chou, along with cast members Gaia Wise (voice of Héra) and Laurence Ubong Williams (voice of Fréaláf), where they talk about the transformation of Tolkien’s Middle-earth epic into an anime.

Checkout the video below:

The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim is slated to release in U.S. on Dec 13, 2024, and internationally on Dec 11, 2024.

Kenji Kamiyama, known for his work on Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Eden Of The East, will direct the film, with Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, Sam Register, Carolyn Blackwood and Toby Emmerich serving as executive producers.

It is produced by produced by Oscar winner Philippa Boyens, known for her work on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies,...

The time is the night of June 7, 2015. The setting is Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. These were the circumstances for the final moments of one of cinema's all-time greatest actors, Sir Christopher Lee. In 2015, Lee was 93 years old and wrapping up an epic career that included military service in World War II and singing in heavy metal bands into his 90s. Of course, Lee was most famous for his acting career — a journey that started in the 1940s and included memorable performances as the quietly terrifying Dracula, Bond assassin Francisco Scaramanga, the short-lived Star Wars villain Count Dooku, and, of course, Saruman the White in "The Lord of the Rings" film franchise.

It was his performance as the White Wizard that was top of mind on the night of his death. According to a new documentary that aired in the UK in late October called "The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee" (via Yahoo!

With Jon M Chu’s toe-tapping Wicked film in cinemas now, why is its two-part status getting us all riled up?

It’s all Peter Jackson’s fault, really.

When folks complain about Hollywood’s relatively new obsession with cutting films in half, few seem to be talking about the New Zealand director’s The Lord Of The Rings trilogy – if only because the narrative hack-job was done more than 40 years before production started. Jrr Tolkien apparently wasn’t best pleased when his publisher insisted on chopping his fantasy epic into some more manageable chunks – by the time New Line was in the mood to put Frodo’s story on-camera, he wasn’t best-placed to complain (he’d died in 1974).

But by the time Return Of The King swept to awards and box office glory in 2004, no one seemed to mind that a single, continuous story had been sold to...

WaterTower Music, Warner Bros.’ in-house music label, has unveiled the official theme song for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

The track, titled “The Rider,” is performed by English breakout artist Paris Paloma. The song was written and produced by Phoebe Gittins and David Long.

The music video for The Rider and its album cover art can be viewed below:

Producer Philippa Boyens praised the new addition to the franchise’s music legacy, stating, “Paris Paloma’s incredible performance of The Rider follows in the great tradition of powerful, heartfelt songs within The Lord of the Rings cinema universe. Her voice perfectly imbues the emotion, courage, and indefinable magic that is Middle-earth.”

A lifelong fan of Tolkien’s works, Paloma also expressed her excitement about being part of the franchise.

“I became completely immersed in Middle-earth, both in the books and the movies, and I have...

"Game of Thrones" had an enormous cast and was filmed in locations all across Europe, from Iceland to Malta. It needed both to do justice to the world and characters described in author George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire," but the complicated logistics almost meant that recasting of B-list and below characters was inevitable.

For example: original Night King actor Richard Brake was replaced by Vladimir Furdik in season 6. Since the Night King's blue-skinned make-up remained the same, this recasting could escape notice. Other actor swaps on "Game of Thrones" were more obvious -- like how Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane was recast not just once but twice.

In both the books and TV series, the Mountain earns his name from his enormous size. He's about eight feet tall and half as wide, and his sword dwarfs many of the men he cuts down with it.

Two-part extravaganzas have always been huge gambles for their creative teams. Hollywood is no stranger to shooting back-to-back sequels, from “The Matrix” to “The Hobbit” to Netflix’s recent “Rebel Moon” saga, and Asian cinema has followed a similar path. John Woo split his expansive Han Dynasty battle epic “Red Cliff” in two for much of its worldwide distribution, while Bollywood’s “Gangs of Wasseypur“(with its initial 319 minute runtime) has seen many iterations, first as two films, then as eight much shorter episodes for its Netflix distribution. In all of these cases, there is a gravitas that comes with the filmmaker’s vision, bursting with ideas and flourishes that cannot be contained in the average one-off cinema experience. Yet with that comes a crucial hope for the goodwill of the audience, that they’re willing to come back, buy another ticket and sit back down to see the conclusion of the story.

John Rhys-Davies will only return to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ franchise if he can forgo prosthetics in favour of CGI.The 80-year-old actor played Gimli the Dwarf in Peter Jackson’s iconic fantasy trilogy and has now revealed the only way he could make a comeback to Middle Earth was if he was allowed to drop the prosthetics and instead use CGI to get into character, which was first utilised for his co-star Andy Serkis, who played Gollum/Sméagol in the films.In an interview with Collider, Rhys-Davies said: “Well, I’m known to not want to put that prosthetic on again, but out of deference to Andy, whom I love and admire and again who has grown so much, if they invited me … oh God could I dare to put on that make-up again and lose my skin? Maybe with CGI."The ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade...

John Rhys-Davies' portrayal of dwarf warrior Gimli in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films is one of the most memorable roles from the original trilogy. While fans will forever love Gimli, Rhys-Davies looks back on the role with mixed memories. For instance, he doesn't miss having to spend "eight hours a day for three years of my life in a make-up chair" or donning heavy armor and climbing mountains.

The draining experience of working on the three movies certainly took its toll. Rhys-Davies stepped back from the role for Peter Jackson's The Hobbit prequel trilogy. And in the time that's passed, with former co-star Andy Serkis now working on a new movie, The Hunt for Gollum, Rhys-Davies was recently asked whether he'd be down to reprise his role over 20 years later. Turns out, he's slightly more receptive to making a triumphant return nowadays.

"Well, I’m known...

Middle-earth cinema is abuzz with projects at the moment — including multiple new additions to Peter Jackson's adaptive take on J.R.R. Tolkien's world. The resurrection of Jackson's work a decade after the release of his "Hobbit" trilogy and two decades after his "Lord of the Rings" movies premiered has led to a flood of questions about what actors could return to reprise their roles on the silver screen. Actor Miranda Otto is already narrating as Éwoyn in the anime film "The War of the Rohirrim," while Ian McKellen has also hinted that he is in talks to return in a future project as Gandalf. Other potential returning players include Orlando Bloom as Legolas, Elijah Wood as Frodo, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, and now John Rhys-Davies as Gimli.

Davies voiced his willingness to return in a recent interview, clarifying that he didn't come back for the "Hobbit" films because...

Embracer Group, the Sweden-based firm that holds the rights to the Lord of the Rings franchise, has posted second quarter entertainment net sales down 10% in a “slow” period that should quicken up next month.

The company’s Entertainment & Services net sales for the July-September period was Sek 1.25B ($113.16M), down on the same period last year.

Overall, the company posted net sales down 21% of SEK8.55B, with the PC/Console Games, Mobile Games and Tabletop Games units also seeing decreases. Adjusted Ebit fell 33% from SEK1.81B last year to SEK1.21B this time round.

Embracer, which purchased the rights to Middle-Earth Enterprises from The Saul Zaentz Comapany in August 2022, said its entertainment division “had another slow quarter, largely as expected” as few films to other titles released. However, it noted “increasingly anticipation” around the release of anime film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim on December...

When does a pattern turn into a trend? How about a trend becoming a bad habit? And at what point does a bad habit metastasize into an all-out plea for help? For the better part of the last two decades, studios have taken every IP they happen to hold the rights to and strip-mined them in order to replicate past blockbuster successes. From "The Hobbit" trilogy to the "Jurassic World" movies to, well, whatever "Star Wars" is doing these days, each of these examples were made out of an obvious desire to make money and (for the most part) managed to haul in billion-dollar profits by the truckload. Nowadays, however, even the industry's most reliable quality -- shameless corporate greed -- feels all muddled. The rise of streaming meant splintering off once-reliable money-makers into endless spin-off shows and prequel series, chasing the allure of subscriber numbers and Wall Street gains over cold,...

Cate Blanchett became a great addition to the MCU despite starring in only one film. Playing Hela, the Goddess of Death, Blanchett became the ultimate threat and gave all the seriousness to the otherwise hilarious Thor: Ragnarok. Taika Waititi’s film was regarded as a fresh addition akin to Guardians of the Galaxy to the franchise at that point.

One of the highlights and traditions of the MCU is their bloopers and gag reels which show the main stars of the films at their goofiest. From funny dances to messing up lines, the bloopers humanize the superheroes to an amazing level. One blooper from Thor: Ragnarok showed Blanchett smacking Chris Hemsworth a bit too hard while filming an action scene.

Cate Blanchett Showed Instant Regret After Slapping Chris Hemsworth On Thor: Ragnarok Cate Blanchett in Thor: Ragnarok | Credits: Marvel Studios

Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok was filled with hilarious characters,...

Given the immense success of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, it was never likely that Hollywood would let the franchise rest. Instead, like any other big property nowadays, new movies set in Middle-earth are coming, starting with The Hunt for Gollum, directed by iconic Gollum voice actor Andy Serkis and produced by Peter Jackson himself.

Ahead of this new era of Middle-earth movies being ushered in, original series veteran Elijah Wood (Frodo) weighed in on the projects. “I am excited,” Wood told Inverse. “I am obviously a fan of the creative team. I'm invested because it is the same creative team behind Lord of the Rings.”

Wood likes the idea of getting the old team back together. If anyone can do justice to a Gollum movie, it's the person who knows Gollum inside and out. “It's revisiting that character, giving Andy a movie to direct.

The Arrowverse is probably one of the best things that people had the pleasure of seeing on television during their time. Starting from Stephen Amell’s Arrow to 2021’s Batwoman, the shows have been great with high ratings.

Stephen Amell in a still from Arrow | Credits: DC Entertainment

What might work for one actor might equally be something bad for another. For Arrow star Stephen Amell, the actor recalled a sad moment while he was working in the Arrowverse as he was the only one working.

Stephen Amell Considered This Thing “Disrespectful”

The magic of televisions and movies is something iconic. VFX and special effects have added a lot more depth to projects that seemed stale before. However, this VFX and effects also mean that fewer people need to be on the sets.

Stephen Amell as Green Arrow in Arrow | Credits: DC Entertainment

Digitally superimposing one frame on another, it...

Plot: On a deep undercover assignment in Taipei, DEA agent John Lawlor was doing everything right… until he fell in love with his informant, beautiful Josephine “Joey” Kwang, one of the Asian underworld’s best transport drivers. Compromised and cover blown, John was forced to flee. Now, years later, John is back in Taipei for the weekend. But is he here to finish the job? Or to win back Joey’s love?

Review: Luke Evans is one of those actors who I always thought deserved to star in an action franchise. His James Bond-esque good looks and debonair stature made him a natural in The Hobbit franchise and The Fast Saga. Having appeared in supporting roles over the last few years, his last significant lead being 2017’s Professor Marston and the Wonder Women, Evans makes a case for headlining more action vehicles with Weekend in Taipei. Co-written by The Transporter and Taken creator Luc Besson,...

Peter Jackson is the master of Middle-earth adaptations. The director and producer helmed the award-winning "Lord of the Rings" trilogy that launched a golden age of fantasy cinema. He returned a decade later to put together a less perfect but still epic trilogy for "The Hobbit" book that preceded Tolkien's Ring epic. The legendary filmmaker has also agreed to executive produce Warner Bros upcoming "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" anime prequel to "The Two Towers" and is busily helping put together a prequel film for Gollum.

While he spent most of his time behind the camera, Jackson also slipped into a scene here and there. In fact, while it remains to be seen if he'll do so with movies going forward, Jackson managed to get a cameo in each of the six Middle-earth movies he created across his two great trilogies. Here are those cameos,...

Actor Christopher Lee died in 2015 at the age of 93, following an incredible career in the arts. Lee appeared in nearly 300 films, but around these parts he'll always be best known for his portrayal of Saruman, the duplicitous wizard from Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. Lee infused Saruman with humanity as well as ire, making him a villain who was enjoyable to watch even as he worked tirelessly to undermine the heroes.

And it turns out, we haven't seen the last of Lee's Saruman quite yet. NME reports that this December, we'll hear the voice of Saruman again in the new Lord of the Rings animated movie, The War of the Rohirrim. This news comes from TheOneRing.net, who had the opportunity to speak with Philippa Boyens, a longtime collaborator of Jackson's who co-wrote both The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films and is back for War of the Rohirrim.

Upcoming feature film “Flavia,” a family adventure about a precocious young detective, has sold across Europe, including to Sky in the U.K.

The film, which features “The Hobbit” star Martin Freeman opposite Molly Belle Wright (“Deep Water”) as the eponymous detective Flavia, has started principal photography, with a first look image showing the duo alongside Toby Jones (“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”) in a dusty library. It is due to wrap in November.

Karan Gill (“The Decameron”), Annette Badland (“Ted Lasso”) and Jonathan Pryce ( “Slow Horses”) also star.

“Flavia” is directed by Bharat Nalluri (“Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day”) and based on Alan Bradley’s book series about 11-year-old amateur detective Flavia de Luce. Susan Coyne (“Daisy Jones and the Six”) adapted the script

“When Flavia finds a dead body at her decaying British manor house and her father is accused of the murder, Flavia dives...

Archive recordings of the late Christopher Lee will be used to voice Saruman in this year’s animated film, The Lord Of The Rings: War Of The Rohirrim.

The late, great Christopher Lee played many iconic roles in his incredible career, including an excellent late career flourish as Saruman, the evil wizard who opposes the heroes of Middle-earth in Peter Jackson’s beloved adaptation of Jrr Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings.

With his glowering eyes and brash arrogance, Lee brilliantly portrayed the human face of evil in the trilogy, embodying and humanising the corrupting forces of darkness and offering a pitch-perfect foil to Ian McKellen’s Gandalf. With news recently emerging that McKellen is set to return as Gandalf in at least one new live action Lord Of The Rings film, it’s lovely to hear that Lee will also be reprising his role as the villainous Saruman one more time,...

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an upcoming anime fantasy film based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic creation. The film is set decades before the events of the Peter Jackson-directed live-action Lord of the Rings trilogy, which featured veteran actor Christopher Lee in the role of Saruman. Despite Lee’s passing, the animated film is expected to bring him back.

Lord of the Rings actor Christopher Lee passed away in 2015 (Credit: New Line Cinema).

During a recent interview, the film’s producer confirmed that Lee’s voice was being recreated for the movie so that he could reprise the role of Saruman, one more time. However, the producer admitted that the film will not rely on Artificial Intelligence technology to revive the late actor. Here is how the new Lord of the Rings movie brought back Christopher Lee as Saruman.

New Lord of the Rings...

We knew that Saruman would appear in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, but we didn’t know who would be voicing the White Wizard. Turns out, none other than Sir Christopher Lee will return to voice Sarumon in The War of the Rohirrim. As Lee sadly died in 2015, you might expect this to be an A.I. situation, but fear not, the production has made use of archival recordings of Lee.

While speaking with The One Ring, Lord of the Rings screenwriter Philippa Boyens said they reached out to Birgit Kroencke (Lee’s widow who died earlier this year), who gave her blessing. “[Kroencke] said the thing that I think that Peter [Jackson] felt in his heart, which was that actually Sir Christopher would’ve wanted this.” Boyens said. “So we went into his records, I got to go back and hear his voice–not just doing the lines,...

Christopher Lee is one of the integral elements of the cinematic Middle-earth experience. The Saruman actor breaks bad in Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and is the central antagonist in "The Two Towers." Lee reprised the role for the "Hobbit" prequel films, too, depicting an earlier version of the White Wizard of Isengard who was harboring ill intent but hadn't yet openly joined Sauron's cause.

While Lee played Saruman across two trilogies, his Middle-earth journey came to an end when the actor died in June 2015 — just half a year after "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" released. Since then, multiple studios have initiated various projects based on Tolkien's world. Prime Video's "The Rings of Power" was able to skirt the issue of recasting Saruman for multiple reasons, including the fact that Saruman isn't in its Second Age story (even if they did technically...

Luke Evans is surprised there aren’t more gay actors performing the kind of macho screen roles that have made him a Hollywood star.

In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, the Welsh actor shared that he first realised he had broken through one of Hollywood’s glass ceilings when he was cast in macho roles including The Hobbit and the Fast & Furious franchise, and gay activist and actor Ian McKellen (Gandalf in Lord of the Rings) told him, “Ooh look at you, you’re going to be a big butch star!”

Evans said of McKellen’s comment: “He was aware of the ground I was treading. I just hoped it would have moved further than it has.”

Evans is currently filming a TV series called Criminal, in which he plays a tough, straight man, and he was asked if he could think of any other out gay actors...

We don't see a lot of betrayal throughout The Lord of the Rings.

I know what you're thinking: In The Lord of the Rings, Isildur betrays all of Middle-earth, Saruman betrays Gandalf, Smeagol betrays Deagol, and Gollum betrays Frodo, and Boromir betrays the Fellowship. And in Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV show The Rings of Power, the Dark Wizard (pretty much "Saruman 1.0") betrays the Stranger (actually "Gandalf 1.0"), Ar-Pharazôn betrays Miriel, and Glûg betrays Adar.

That's a pretty solid list of backstabbing. So allow me to rephrase: We don't see a lot of betrayal by anyone acting outside of Sauron's influence, directly or indirectly. The only thing that prevents me from declaring we don't see any betrayal outside of Sauron's influence is my lack of encyclopedic knowledge of author J.R.R. Tolkien's Legendarium. But other than Melkor's original rebellion, I would wager there are few, if any,...

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When you're young, your favorite movies can leave quite an impression on you. For a nine-year-old boy in New Zealand, it set him on the path towards becoming a filmmaker. Indeed, Peter Jackson's first viewing of Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack's 1933 epic "King Kong" on a tiny television screen inspired him to make movies. In a 2005 interview with NBC News, Jackson said the film had a "profound effect" on him and described its titular ape as "a very special little chap" who captured his heart. When he was 12, he even made a rubber Kong and cardboard model of the Empire State Building and tried to animate it using his parents' Super-8 camera.

What was it about "King Kong" that Peter Jackson loved so much? In an interview with Chud, he once described the film as "a wonderful piece of escapist entertainment.

A film about the wizard and his search for Gollum is coming – and it turns out a second may also be in the offing. Will he battle Balrog, entreat Entwines or just plod about perplexed?

Well thank goodness for that. One can only imagine the panic at Peter Jackson’s WingNut Films when that doughty old japester Sir Ian McKellen told the world last month that the Oscar-winning film-maker’s return to Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, would be not one but two movies. First of all because Jackson suffered major brickbats a decade ago for somehow contriving to turn The Hobbit (a novel that it is conceivably possible to read in less time than it would take Bilbo to hide the silverware from Lobelia Sackville-Baggins) into an entire trilogy of epic movies about elf-dwarf romances and Alfrid the greedy servant’s penchant for cross-dressing.

The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of Rohirrim unveiled a new tapestry artwork and a behind-the-scene video of its creation at this year’s New York Comic Con on Oct 18, 2025.

Tapestry artwork

The BTS video begins with rough pencil sketches of the film’s main characters and mythical settings. As the video progresses, fans can see how digital technology was used to add details and refine the sketches.

The final phase of the process involved animating the drawings, bringing movement and depth to the visual designs. The video culminated with the unveiling of the finished tapestry.

Checkout the video below:

The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim is slated to release in U.S. on Dec 13, 2024, and internationally on Dec 11, 2024.

Kenji Kamiyama, known for his work on Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Eden Of The East, will direct the film, with Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, Sam Register,...

The Lord of the Rings seems everywhere these days. Amazon Prime Video have their big expensive series The Rings of Power, which wrapped up its second season the other month. And this December, we're getting an animated movie called The War of the Rohirrim, all about the horse-riding people of Rohan.

And that's just the start. We also know that Andy Serkis, who played the ring-whipped monster Gollum in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies, will return to star in and direct a new film called The Hunt for Gollum. “It’s quite an intense story, which falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines Of Moria,” screenwriter Philippa Boyens explained to Empire. “It’s a specific chunk of incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature.”

In The Lord of the Rings lore according to author J.R.R. Tolkien, the ranger Aragorn...

Middle-earth is having a moment. Projects and adaptations are popping up all over the place. Warner Bros. has multiple Tolkienian irons in the fire. Prime Video is also heavily invested in the author's world through its "The Rings of Power" streaming series, which recently wrapped up a lore-rich season 2. While the streamer's press releases indicate that many people are watching the show, one individual is decidedly not amongst them: Philippa Boyens. Boyens was a screenwriter for Peter Jackson's iconic trilogy, and she is actively involved in upcoming WB projects in that area of the fantasy landscape, which directly influenced her reason to avoid "Rings of Power" -- at least for the time being.

"I haven't watched it, and I've done that quite deliberately because I'm not about to pass judgment on anybody else's attempt to go back into that world," Boyens explained to Empire Magazine. Her initial reason focused...

Ian McKellen’s claim that The Hunt For Gollum will be two films was a ‘genuine misunderstanding’ according to writer-producer Philippa Boyens.

If the brilliant scene set at the Doors of Durin during 2001’s The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring taught us nothing else, it was a reminder that even wizards can misundestand things occasionally. We’re pretty sure that’s a rarity, but it looks like it may have happened again as Ian McKellen’s claim last month that the planned Lord Of The Rings: Hunt For Gollum project was actually two films seems to have come down to a misunderstanding.

It seems that we might have arrived at the best of outcomes here, not least because there were quite a few worried double takes when McKellen revealed back in September on This Morning that, “I’m told it’s two films,” adding, “I probably shouldn’t be saying this.