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Does Adrian Brody regret skipping The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring? ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

The Oscar winner, Adrian Brody, admitted he didn’t quite get what he was being offered, and by the time he figured it out, it was already lighting up box offices and changing fantasy cinema forever.

Brody spilled the regret in a throwback chat with GQ (via The Hollywood Reporter), saying producers approached him for the Peter Jackson epic, but he just wasn’t feeling it. “I, somehow, didn’t grasp it,” he said. “I don’t know what part I would have been right for, but it was some Hobbit-like character. I was looking for something else.”

Translation: he wasn’t chasing hairy feet and wizard quests back then.

But his “what was I thinking?” moment hit hard later. He remembered in the same interview sitting in the theater with his then-girlfriend,...

Earlier this week, we learned that a company called Colossal Biosciences managed to — steel yourself for this — revive dire wolves. Dire wolves are a species of wolf, larger than a normal wolf, that went extinct thousands of years ago. Until recently, they existed only in the imagination, and on TV shows like Game of Thrones, where each of the Stark children had one. But through the miracle of modern science, there are three new dire wolves now in the world: the twin brothers Romulus and Remus, and their little sister Khaleesi.

I'll say right at the top that there's some dispute over whether these are actually dire wolves as they were of old, or just a genetically modified version of a grey wolf that resembles what a real dire wolf may have looked like. Either way, it's cool, and there's no fighting the excellent marketing. Colossal knew that people have...

Yesterday, we learned that scientists at Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences had successfully whelped three dire wolf puppies, which is quite an accomplishment because the dire wolf has been extinct for thousands of years. “Our team took DNA from a 13,000-year-old tooth and a 72,000-year-old skull and made healthy dire wolf puppies,” Colossal CEO Ben Lamm said in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter. “It was once said, ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ Today, our team gets to unveil some of the magic they are working on and its broader impact on conservation.”

The guy who said that quote about sufficiently advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic was sci-fi writer Arthur C. Clarke. Lamm would know that, because Lamm and a lot of the scientists who work for him are probably dorks, and I know that because of how many dorky connections this story has.

To start, the three direwolf pups are named Romulus,...

At CinemaCon, Warner Bros chose to speak about their movies that are fairly close to their release date. Sinners comes out in about two weeks, Final Destination: Bloodlines comes out in May, F1 comes out in June, Superman comes out in July, Weapons comes out in August, and Mortal Kombat II comes out in October. The main exception to this was The Bride! which is just under a year from release.

Because WB chose to focus on their movies that are coming out sooner rather than later, some huge franchises went without an announcement.

Supergirl

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will be the first film to feature Kara Zor-El as the live action main character since Supergirl in 1984, just over forty years ago. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow started filming in January, a bit before Lanterns. It's possible the team at DC Studios could have cooked up some footage to show fans at CinemaCon,...

Quick LinksSam Did Not Want to Use the One Ring's PowerThe One Ring Tempted Sam With Power and GloryNot Even the One Ring Could Corrupt Sam's SpiritTolkien Imagined Sam as the "Chief Hero" of His StoryHobbits are Humbly Heroic In the World of The Lord of the Rings

Near the end of The Fellowship of the Ring from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Frodo Baggins made the difficult decision to part ways with the rest of the Fellowship. The One Ring's corrupting influence had caused Boromir to attack him at Amon Hen, and he feared that it would do the same to his other companions. He thought it was safer for himself and Middle-earth if he carried out the rest of his quest alone. But try as he might, he could not leave his stalwart friend Samwise Gamgee behind. They traveled together for months during The Lord of the Rings,...

The Lord of the Rings has made a bit of a resurgence recently with last year's animated feature The War of Rohirrim hitting theaters. That has caused fans to reminisce over Peter Jackson's original trilogy which set pop culture a blaze in the early 2000s. An endless sea of merchandise came with the films as well. Lego, for example, helped give The Lord of the Rings a larger outreach to a demographic that were too young to watch the darker adventures. Over the years, the popular toy company has released many different sets based on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Now Lego has returned to The Shire for their latest franchise set.

A part of the Lego Icons Movie Memorabilia series, the latest Lord of the Rings-themed set recreates the famous Shire and Bilbo Baggins’ hobbit hole. The set contains a massive 2017 pieces and nine mini-figures.

In the mid-2000s, director Peter Jackson was riding high on the success of his "Lord of the Rings" movies, having won multiple Academy Awards and made gazillions of dollars. For his follow-up film, Jackson was allowed to indulge in a high-profile vanity project: an effects-laden, $200 million remake of "King Kong," as the 1933 original was one of his favorite movies. The film itself was only okay. However, while he was making "King Kong," Jackson seemed to develop a new artistic interest. 

You see, Jackson knew of an excised "spider pit" sequence that had been cut from the 1933 "King Kong." Hence, he decided -- just as a side project -- to use his clout to recreate what it might have looked like using vintage film and effects. The results are fun enough (you can see them online), but Jackson had clearly been bitten by a bug. Following his spider pit experiment,...

While many felt Oppenheimer was filled with A-listers from right to left, Christopher Nolan is taking it a notch up with The Odyssey, which comprises some of the most notable stars of this generation. As of now, the cast includes Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, and Mia Goth.

Matt Damon as Odysseus | Credit: Universal

Moreover, given that the filming for the Greek epic had already commenced in February, the first look at Holland has finally surfaced, and it’s not hard to draw his correlation with Lord of the Rings.

The resemblance between Tom Holland and the Hobbit is uncanny The Hobbit | Credit: New Line Cinema

With The Odyssey, Nolan is set to delve into some uncharted territory, which is nothing out of the ordinary for the filmmaker. As for what fans can expect from the Oscar winner’s Greek epic,...

There are a lot of crossovers and connections within Middle-earth media. Even with completely separate projects, like Prime Video's "The Rings of Power" series and Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" trilogies, you can see the throughlines. Some are obvious, like the similarities in Balrog design between Jackson's movies and Prime Video's show. Others are more subtle, like the ways "The Rings of Power" tries to recapture the magic of Jackson's Middle-earth movies. And then there is the human link.

Overall, there isn't too much personnel crossover between the Warner Bros. and Prime Video Middle-earth universes. However, there is one actor who has managed to pop up in both of them: Jed Brophy. Even more impressive? He managed to land full-blown character roles in all six of Jackson Middle-earth films and has since shown up on "The Rings of Power." He's even developed a...

Gollum is an integral part of The Lord of the Rings. Played by Andy Serkis, his actions and motives influenced the direction of the films, specifically with Frodo's journey to destroy the One Ring. He was a visual representation of how strong the dark forces were, and what their corruption could do to someone.

Gollum, who was originally Smeagol, lived as a Stoor Hobbit but was disowned after his awful actions towards his cousin, Deagol. Gollum was complicated, falling between good and evil. Due to his interesting, albeit disturbing personality, there are a number of scenes that the character made iconic.

Updated on February 26, 2025 by Robert Vaux: Gollum is one of Tolkien's most complex characters, and practically every scene he's in informs his unique place in The Lord of the Rings. The article has been updated with five new entries, and the formatting has been adjusted to meet Cbr's current guidelines.

Who knew Middle-earth’s biggest plot twist had happened off-camera? Richard Armitage, the brooding dwarf king Thorin Oakenshield himself, spilled the beans on The Hobbit’s ever-evolving script. By the time filming wrapped, the script had been rewritten so many times, it was a wonder the cast didn’t get whiplash trying to keep up.

Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbits | Credits: New Line Cinema

From plot twists to character arcs, nothing had been safe from last-minute changes.

Richard Armitage’s Hobbit journey: Rewrites, heavy armor, and on-set surprises Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbits | Credits: New Line Cinema

The Hobbit wasn’t just an adventure on screen; it was a full-blown rewrite marathon behind the scenes. Richard Armitage revealed that the script changes were relentless.

The rewrites weren’t random, though. As filming progressed, the characters’ voices evolved, and the writers – Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh,...

Quick LinksThe Rings of Power Was Renewed for Another SeasonSeason 3 Will Reveal the War of the Elves and SauronThe War of the Elves and Sauron Was DevastatingThe Rings of Power Will Likely Change the War

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has already introduced audiences to the depths of J.R.R. Tolkien's work. While it is far from a perfect adaptation of The Silmarillion, it has certainly ushered in a greater understanding of many of its prominent characters. Galadriel, Sauron, and other groups of Hobbits have each had greater exposure than any previous movie afforded them. Peter Jackson's focus on the Third Age meant that the Second Age was, understandably, left to the realm of myth, memory, and legend.

Considering that much of Tolkien's work focused on the Third Age, it was a natural decision to adapt that era for the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit movie series.

Being an actor is a wonderful job, for it allows actors to become a variety of different persons and take up roles that allow them to do all sorts of things and get experiences that a normal human being cannot, even with an unimaginable amount of money. Hollywood star Huge Weaving probably knows how it feels, seeing the range of characters and roles he has taken in his decades-long and very prolific career.

Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith in a still from The Matrix | Credit: Warner Bros.

From being part of The Matrix films to The Lord of the Rings and voicing several animated characters, Weaving has received widespread acclaim for his acting chops. Yet, before he became the sinister Agent Smith or Elrond, the actor’s best role was as a drag queen.

Before Agent Smith, Hugo Weaving was known best for playing a Drag Queen Hugo Weaving as...

Hobbits, with their trademark charm and quaintness, have become synonymous with J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings saga, largely due to the generationally revered performances of actors like Elijah Wood, Ian Holm, and Sean Astin. However, as fans likely know, Tolkien’s world extends far beyond that iconic trilogy, and the same is true of the hobbits that starred in it, featuring numerous lesser-known characters who, though not given screen time in the initial three Lord of the Rings films, have appeared in other works, showcasing the depth of Tolkien and other's work, in characters that deserve the spotlight as well. From heroic adventurers to quirky ancestors to the hobbits audiences do know, the diverse portrayals of hobbits outside The Lord of the Rings trilogy offer a fascinating look at the broader spectrum of character types in the Shire, and in all of Middle-Earth.

These hobbits, though not...

Quick LinksRichard Armitage Stared in The Phantom MenaceHis Career Thrived In The UKPeter Jackson Made Him Big In Hollywood With The Hobbit

Ever since he brooded his way to Bilbo's door in The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey, Richard Armitage has built a solid acting career between Hollywood and the UK. Like most actors from the Isles, he had a strong foundation of credits beforehand in the more local market with British productions, but with that also came early credits in another major Hollywood franchise that is often shot in the UK.

Although his sharp features, rumbling voice, and heavy stare are now iconic from his role as Thorin Oakenshield, one of his earliest appearances is as a background actor. All greats need to start somewhere, whether it's promoting a restaurant in a chicken suit like Brad Pitt or being an out-of-focus background actor for an A-lister's closeup. So where...

Prime Video expande su épica tolkieniana. © Atresmedia

Los fans de la Tierra Media pueden estar de enhorabuena: Prime Video ha renovado El señor de los anillos: Los anillos de poder, la serie ambientada en el universo de J.R.R. Tolkien, por una tercera temporada, y que además ya se encuentra en preproducción y comenzará su rodaje esta misma primavera en los Shepperton Studios del Reino Unido. Y ojo, que también tenemos nombres tras las cámaras: Charlotte Brändström y Sanaa Hamri repiten como directoras, mientras que Stefan Schwartz se une a la aventura.

Esta nueva temporada, que nos transporta miles de años antes de los acontecimientos de El Hobbit y El Señor de los Anillos, seguirá explorando la Segunda Edad de la Tierra Media, con la forja de los Anillos de Poder, el auge de Sauron y las épicas batallas que moldearon el universo.

El reparto de la tercera temporada está nuevamente...

Hobbits are a wonderful part of J.R.R. Tolkien's world. Bilbo Baggins is the front and center of The Hobbit, whilst his younger relation, Frodo Baggins, takes the lead in The Lord of the Rings. Beyond them is an extensive history of their race, as is found with every type of character that Tolkien wrote. Their peaceful, quaint lives in the Shire are often attributed to their wholesome personalities, but that shouldn't be taken for granted and assumed it means they aren't good fighters.

The movies prove that Hobbits had an unwavering loyalty and would put their lives on the line for others. They made good archers and had great hand-eye coordination. At various points, they had to fight for the good of their homes and families, and many demonstrated their strength. It wasn't always only a physical ability that highlighted them as good fighters. Hobbits such as Frodo displayed...

There are plenty of prolonged cinematic experiences out there these days, but few of them have maintained their enduring appeal quite as long as Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Available in both long theatrical and extreme extended edition formats, binging through "The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers," and "The Return of the King" from sundown to sunset has become a favorite past-time for Tolkien fans everywhere (including yours truly).

If you're planning on a marathon soon, you may be wondering just how long the experience will be. How many meals do you have to account for? How many bathroom breaks will you need? How early should you start?

Let's start with the big picture. If you binge the theatrical version of the Middle-earth trilogy back to back, the full runtime is a butt-numbing 558 minutes long. That's nine hours and 17 minutes, for those of you counting at home.

The story of the making of "Star Trek: Discovery" is well-known to Trekkies with a smattering of inside-baseball knowledge. Bryan Fuller was asked to create a new "Star Trek" series by the higher-ups at CBS, and he was eager to do so. He loved "Star Trek," having written scripts for "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek: Voyager." He and Alex Kurtzman began assembling a new series, as CBS didn't yet have an idea of what they wanted. Fuller had a novel idea: a "Star Trek" anthology series. He envisioned a series of multiple 10-episode seasons, each one set at a different time within the future history of "Star Trek." The first season would take place shortly before the events of the original "Star Trek," the second would run concurrently with the original "Star Trek," the third during the age of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and so on,...

"The Lord of the Rings" is a franchise that is beloved by critics and fans alike. Films set in Middle-earth tend to do well at the box office, gather streaming steam without trouble, and are considered top rewatching material by many. However, a recent addition to the cinematic Tolkienian canon has officially ranked on Rotten Tomatoes as a blight on the otherwise impressive "Lord of the Rings" track record.

"The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" has set a new "Lord of the Rings" franchise record low with a 48% on the Tomatometer. This is the critical consensus, and it has a lot to say for a Warner Bros. project that had the makings of greatness but couldn't quite stick the landing.

"The War of the Rohirrim" was the first foray into the anime format for a Middle-earth film. The story takes place centuries before "The Lord of the Rings...

Quick LinksThe White Council Had a Long History in Middle-earthCírdan Was Not a Major Character in Jackson's Films

Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit film trilogy was based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel, but it was a looser adaptation than his previous The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The novel version of The Hobbit was a children’s story less than a third of the length of The Lord of the Rings, so Jackson and his team needed to make many additions to expand it into a sprawling fantasy epic akin to The Lord of the Rings. Some of these additions were wholly original, such as Tauriel and her love triangle with Legolas and Kili, but others drew from Tolkien’s wider legendarium.

Jackson elaborated upon Gandalf’s mysterious disappearances in The Hobbit using information from The Silmarillion and the appendices of The Lord of the Rings. While...

Peter Jackson clearly failed to recreate his Lord of the Rings magic with The Hobbit trilogy. Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn in the earlier film trilogy, had no role in The Hobbit films. However, prior to the release of the Martin Freeman-starring first film, Mortensen expressed his one doubt about Jackson’s second film series in J.R.R. Tolkien’s universe.

Martin Freeman in a still from The Hobbit films | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

Mortensen’s doubt turned out to be valid as that one thing became the trilogy’s biggest enemy. Jackson tried to emulate the success of The Lord of the Rings but made a big misstep when he tried to follow the three-film format of the earlier film series to these prequel films.

Viggo Mortensen had doubts about Peter Jackson’s misstep in The Hobbit trilogy Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings films...

Lord of the Rings fans who are sick of checking to see if their favorite movies are on one of the many streaming services they may or may not be subscribed to can now own all six Peter Jackson films in one box set. Per IGN, the new 4K Middle-earth 6-film Collection is now available for preorder on Amazon.

The set includes the extended and theatrical versions of all three Hobbit and Lord of the Rings films on 4K Uhd Blu-ray and digital. The set will be released on March 18 and is priced at $209.99. Fans of physical media will need to have a 4K Uhd TV with Hdr, an Ultra HD Blu-ray player, and a high-speed Hdmi cable to get the full experience of the 4K Uhd Blu-rays.

While the new Middle-earth collection is quite an investment, those wanting to just pick up the Lord of the Rings trilogy...

Released over the course of three years, The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the most beloved movie adaptations of all time, earning nearly $3 billion at the box office in addition to 17 Academy Awards from 30 nominations. Peter Jackson's epic filmmaking effort brings the drama and spectacle of J.R.R. Tolkien's high fantasy saga to the silver screen, making it infinitely more accessible to audiences around the world.

The Lord of the Rings films are lengthy and dense, totaling an impressive 558 minutes or just over 9.3 hours for the theatrical releases, whereas the extended additions add more than two hours. And yet, these meager runtimes are not nearly long enough to capture everything included in J. R. R. Tolkien's famously thick novels. While the bulk of the relevant information is carried over, including the major plotline, there are several details that the films simply didn't or couldn't include.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim ventured into uncharted territory in myriad ways. The Middle-earth saga's first attempt at anime, The War of the Rohirrim also put a female protagonist in the lead role, an unfortunate scarcity in J.R.R. Tolkien's legendarium. Middle-earth mythology isn't devoid of women, but its female characters' influence and impact leave a bit to be desired—even The War of the Rohirrim's lead heroine was only given a singular sentence of focus by Tolkien in his Rings-writings.

Directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), the Lord of the Rings anime takes the underwritten daughter of Helm Hammerhand, Héra, and turns her into a fully fleshed-out character. It's a bold choice, but a critical one for a franchise largely fledgling since Return of the King's theatrical release. Unfortunately, The War of the Rohirrim's leading lady is emblematic of an ongoing,...

J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth saga, like its fans, spans generations. Since the 1950s, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy have been a rite of passage for readers, shared between kin, their legacy cemented for good with Peter Jackson's Rings films. Countless Oscars, legendary performances, and Tumblr GIFs later, the Tolkien universe has evolved to something beyond fan-favorite fantasy; it's now a coveted intellectual property, a cinematic universe for studios to mine like its Moria. And like the One Ring, a powerful and popular IP can be alluring; but in the wrong hands, it could tempt fate—and disaster.

A clunky Hobbit trilogy was a bitter pill for fans to swallow, unnecessarily stretching the sweetly simple book into a bloated three-fer. Middle-earth reemerged on Amazon with Rings of Power. Another complicated entry, Rings of Power, follows Galadriel’s tussles with Sauron in the leadup and fallout of the titular rings’ forging,...

It's getting hard to be optimistic about Lord of the Rings' future on screen. With The Rings of Power earning mixed reviews and The War of the Rohirrim following suit, yielding modest-at-best box office returns, confidence that J. R. R. Tolkien's beloved Middle-earth will be done justice in future projects grows scarce. Hopes and hype were sky-high for War for the Rohirrim. Yet, despite its surface-level distance from Frodo and Bilbo's tales, getting bogged down by being derivative of them, ultimately failing to capitalize on the anime medium's—and Tolkien's lore—infinite possibilities. This begs the question: what, or who, from Tolkien's saga can capitalize where Rohirrim failed to?

Two figures from Tolkien's work might save the franchise from its creative rut: the Blue Wizards, Alatar and Pallando. Like Gandalf and Saruman, these powerful Istari were sent to Middle-earth to fight against Sauron's growing power. But instead...

Guillermo del Toro’s The Hobbit was supposed to be something truly epic, before it was scrapped, of course. The visionary director had an entirely different spin on the classic tale that could’ve completely reshaped our view of The Lord of the Rings universe.

A still from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) | Credits: New Line Cinema

Rather than just focusing on dragons and treasure, del Toro’s version would’ve zeroed in on the deep, complex relationship between two of Middle Earth’s most iconic characters.

Guillermo del Toro’s The Hobbit: A deep dive into Thorin and Bilbo’s complex bond Guillermo del Toro | Image by: Gage Skidmore, licensed under Cc-by-sa-2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Guillermo del Toro’s The Hobbit could’ve been a whole different beast, literally. If the director had his way, his version of the film would’ve been ultra-focused on the intricate relationship between Thorin and Bilbo,...

Benedict Cumberbatch has numerous fan favorite characters under his belt, he’s MCU’s Doctor Strange, Star Trek’s Khan Noonien Singh, The Hobbit’s Smaug the dragon among others. But perhaps he’s loved the most for playing a very eccentric Sherlock Holmes in the British detective series Sherlock, and fans often dream of another season or a movie to wrap up the character arcs of the main players in the series. Recently, the Oscar nominee weighed on what it’ll take for him to return to the fan-favorite character.

Aragorn lives for many years after the events of The Lord of the Rings, and there are important lore reasons as to why. Viggo Mortensen delivered an iconic portrayal as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings movies directed by Peter Jackson, and he'll hopefully be returning to the character for the upcoming movie, The Hunt for Gollum. He's introduced in The Fellowship of the Ring as the ranger, Strider, but the film delicately introduces new elements about his past before Legolas reveals that he's the lost heir to Gondor at the Council of Elrond.

Gondor is one of the notable human kingdoms in Middle-earth, which was founded toward the end of the Second Age. At the start of The Lord of the Rings, Gondor is ruled by a Steward who acts in the place of the king. This makes it all the more important to the narrative and for...

Those beginning to explore author J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings books are sure to come across or hear about The Silmarillion—but what exactly is this book, and how does it fit with Frodo's story? Tolkien's The Silmarillion has been an even more prominent topic of conversation in recent years since the on-screen Lord of the Rings franchise has begun to grow. Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a prequel series set thousands of years before Frodo destroyed the One Ring, and part of this tale is found in The Silmarillion. Still, that's far from all this book describes.

Tolkien started his iconic fantasy series with the short novel The Hobbit, and the stories of Middle-earth exploded from there. The author expanded the tale into The Lord of the Rings series, which comprised six individual novels (often condensed into three...

Quick Links Bloom Didn't Like the Sound of Pirates of the Caribbean Bloom Originally Auditioned For Faramir in The Lord of the Rings Bloom First Met a Lord of the Rings Cast Member on His Flight to New Zealand

Orlando Bloom's career really took off with The Lord of the Rings, shortly followed by Pirates of the Caribbean. Although both were fantasy, his roles as Legolas and Will Turner were vastly different and showed a range of his performing skills. Each franchise was spread over a number of years, allowing Bloom to take on other work in between. In 2004, he appeared in the epic historical war film Troy alongside Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, and fellow Lord of the Rings actor Sean Bean. 2013 took him to a crime-thriller called Zulu, which also starred Forest Whitaker, before reprising his role as Legolas and performing in the second Hobbit movie, The Desolation of Smaug,...

One of the more ambiguous elements of The Lord of the Rings movies was Legolas' murder of Gríma Wormtongue, but Legolas had his reasons. Peter Jackson's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings movies were full of puzzling decisions, but most of them made sense in the long run. Jackson made directorial decisions geared mostly at condensing his source material into three feature-length movies. Adapting The Lord of the Rings, the masterwork of fantasy's greatest writer, was no mean feat. J.R.R. Tolkien's novel was a vast, sprawling epic and Jackson had to change a lot, including Wormtongue's end.

But Wormtongue's death in the trilogy was oft-disputed among fans. In Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King movie, Legolas shot Gríma Wormtongue with an arrow,w and Wormtongue died at the top of Orthanc. This confused many fans as it seemed contrary to Legolas' normal kindness, and the...

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim got a mixed reception on its December 13 launch, and Warner Bros.' Lord of the Rings romance problem could have something to do with it. The movie was perfectly inoffensive in many ways, and it was refreshing to get a theatrical release for a new anime movie, especially for the first-ever Lord of the Rings anime movie. Kenji Kamiyama's animated picture follows Peter Jackson's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies, which are undeniably tough acts to follow, but the romance difficulties loomed large.

As the only company that currently has the rights to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit novels into movies, Warner Bros. has a monopoly on Lord of the Rings films. Jackson launched a titan of a movie franchise with the first Lord of the Rings trilogy, debuting characters...

Ian McKellen's powerful wizard is a source of guidance, counsel, and knowledge for the Fellowship in The Lord of the Rings, making for a lot of wise Gandalf quotes. In many ways, Gandalf exemplifies the archetype of the wizard character, and he is great at dispensing wisdom. While Gandalf is also extremely powerful, as one of the few Istari in Middle-earth, his intelligence is one of his greatest strengths. Many of Gandalf's quotes are still enshrined in pop culture today, decades after the original movies were released, and his wisest are always worth remembering.

The best Gandalf quotes are often the ones that display his immense wisdom. Throughout both the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, Gandalf is an invaluable source of information and guidance. However, many of the wisest things that he says are simple phrases that can be applied to everyday life. Ian McKellen gave such...

Bilbo may be the protagonist of The Hobbit, but the quest that he embarks upon undoubtedly revolves around the thirteen dwarves he accompanies on his "unexpected journey." Led by Thorin Oakenshield, these dwarves from the land of Erebor seek to reclaim the treasure of their fathers and their ancestral home of the Lonely Mountain. Along the way, they play a major role in the death of Smaug, the last great dragon of Middle Earth, and find themselves caught up in larger events that will lead into the War of the Ring, as told in The Lord of the Rings. While the story is, in many ways, theirs, they don't all receive a significant share of screen time in the Peter Jackson's Hobbit Trilogy.

J.R.R. Tolkien, himself, didn't exactly give each dwarf much characterization in his novel, focusing instead on the titular hero of the story. Even though Jackson stretched...

One does not simply pick their favorite Lord of the Rings movie. Oh, we do? Well, Peter Jackson does, too, giving his definitive pick that will no doubt divide Lord of the Rings fans. No, it’s not Ralph Bakshi’s movie, but instead The Two Towers.

Speaking with Letterboxd, Peter Jackson said that as of now, his favorite movie of the Lord of the Rings saga is the second installment. “The Two Towers, I think. But if I see them again I might have a totally different one.” But Jackson was careful to note that he’s not just sitting around his hobbit-hole watching his own flicks, adding, “I can’t watch my own films. I just, I mean, one day…I sort of enjoy it more as more time goes by, so one day I’ll watch them again. I hope you enjoy ’em!” If only he could shake them from his memory…...

When it comes to works of fantasy adaptation, The Lord of the Rings trilogy remains one of the most acclaimed and beloved. Peter Jackson directed all three installments, which were released in theaters between 2001 and 2003. The three movies, which serve as adaptations of the book series by author J.R.R. Tolkien, were all critically and commercially successful, and Jackson would ultimately return to the world of Middle-earth with his less successful Hobbit trilogy in the 2010s.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was the movie that started it all, introducing Elijah Wood as Frodo and kicking off his quest to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. This installment was followed by The Two Towers, which features the climactic Battle of Helm's Deep, and finally by The Return of the King, the trilogy-capper that wraps up the stories of Lord of the Rings characters like Frodo,...

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is utilizing a worrisome strategy to attract fans of Peter Jackson's trilogy, but it might be necessary after the lackluster performance of The War of the Rohirrim. Warner Bros. is proving its commitment to expanding its Lord of the Rings franchise, with War of the Rohirrim bringing J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth back to the big screen for the first time since The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies debuted in 2014. The studio's next journey to Middle-earth is already planned, with The Hunt for Gollum aiming to hit theaters in 2026.

The Hunt for Gollum will be the first live-action Lord of the Rings movie in more than a decade, and it will be more closely connected to Jackson's films than War of the Rohirrim. While the animated project sees Miranda Otto returning as Éowyn to narrate the story, the...

Amazon’s TV series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” has already learned that it can be risky to delve into the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy novels and put on screen in Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning film trilogy. In fact, Jackson himself learned that when he followed his “Lord of the Rings” films with the three overstuffed and significantly less appreciated “Hobbit” movies.

But now the makers of the animated film “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” are taking on an even more daunting challenge: They’re not only building a story only glancingly mentioned in Tolkien’s legendarium, but they’re doing so using the medium of anime, a distinctly different form from the CG-heavy live-action world that Jackson created.

For director Kenji Kamiyama, however, the different medium was an advantage. “Hand-drawn pictures give the audience room for imagination,...

One of the most important details about The Lord of the Rings' Gandalf is his staff, which he changes multiple times throughout the movies. Gandalf is one of the most vital characters in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies, with Ian McKellen playing the role in all six films. McKellen consistently delivers one of The Lord of the Rings' best performances and successfully brings one of J.R.R. Tolkien's most important characters to life.

Throughout Gandalf's many appearances, his staff is one of his defining features. The staff is not just used as a way to wield and enhance his magic, with Gandalf being capable of performing magic without a staff. Gandalf's staff has tremendous symbolic value, signifying his authority as a wizard and as one of The Lord of the Rings' Maiar. During his time as Gandalf the Grey and as Gandalf the White,...

It was neither Marvel nor Lord of the Rings that first sparked Benedict Cumberbatch’s international fame. The MCU actor, who is now popularly known for portraying the suave role of Doctor Strange in the Marvel multiverse, became popular after his BBC series Sherlock made the entire world fall in love with the eccentric detective all over again.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock [Credit: BBC]

Adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s literary series, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, the modern-day reiteration transports the detective from London in the industrial era of the 1800s to the technologically evolved setting of the 21st century. Cumberbatch, in his role as Sherlock, perfectly embodies the cracks and oddities in his personality that make the detective so obnoxious yet endearing.

Benedict Cumberbatch revels in his role as Sherlock Sherlock feat. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in The Abominable Bride [Credit: BBC]

Before crawling on the ground while recording the...

Two Lord of the Rings actors will likely try to find “Second Breakfast” in their new reality series Billy and Dom: Eat the World. Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, who played Hobbits Merry and Pippin in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, are starting the new year with a new show where the pair travels the world to eat “delicious” food, per Digital Spy.

A synopsis for the show reads: “In true Hobbit style, Billy and Dom will wander on foot, searching the hidden side of cities, hunting down their next adventure, taking recommendations, changing plans as they embark on their quest to Eat the World.” The duo released a new trailer ahead of the show’s premiere, which is set for sometime in 2025. One scene shows Monaghan and Boyd running into Sir Ian McKellen, who famously portrayed Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies.

Quick Links Héra Is “At the Heart of the Conflict” in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Explains the Role of Shieldmaidens More Than Tolkien Arwen’s Role Was Similarly Expanded in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy

The following contains minor spoilers for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, now playing in theaters.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is the latest installment in Peter Jackson's cinematic adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings. On this particular film, Jackson served as Executive Producer where the medium of animation was chosen to bring the story to life. Returning as a collaborator with Jackson is writer Philippa Boyens, who was heavily involved in the writing of Jackson's original trilogy. Boyens helped to...

IMDb has a Top 250 list that is constantly evolving. You can rate every movie that is listed on IMDb from one to 10, and the Top 250 is a collection of the highest-rated films across the entire website. This differs from Rotten Tomatoes, which features both critic and audience scores; IMDb's list is purely based on regular audience ratings. The more people that see and enjoy the film, and the higher they rate it, the higher it ranks on the Top 250.

The lowest-rated movie on the list, "Cool Hand Luke," has a rating of 8.0 while the highest-rated movie, "The Shawshank Redemption," has a 9.3. Back in the good old days when IMDb was more of a community and had message boards, the Top 250 was a hotly-debated topic. There was constant arguments about what deserved to be on the list, what didn't, and what should have the coveted number one spot.

There are many movie franchises out there,...

The 10 strongest Dwarves in The Lord of the Rings are some of fantasy's best heroes. Dwarves are one of the many species invented by high fantasy master J.R.R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings, the masterpiece published in three parts between 1954 and 1955. They were adapted by Peter Jackson in his famous Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies, with each movie adapting a part of the novel. From part one of the novel and Jackson's first movie, The Fellowship of the Ring, Gimli, son of Glóin, gave the Dwarves a strong presence in the story.

But Gimli is just the best-known Dwarf of heroic stature in The Lord of the Rings, with plenty of others spread across the legendarium. Tolkien's first LotR release was actually based on Dwarves, that being The Hobbit, published in 1937. The hardy Dwarves only grew in lore and legend from there on out, coming to...

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings may be the world's most famous fantasy, but it still has some underrated characters. The novel, released in three parts between 1954 and 1955, introduced the world to the famous Fellowship of the Ring characters. These rapidly became archetypes of high fantasy leading roles, informing generations of writers for years to come and leading to franchises like Dungeons & Dragons, which are heavily based on Tolkien's work. And yet, some of the books' most influential characters still don't get enough attention in the fandom, book clubs, and adaptations.

Some of the Fellowship of the Ring and many of the supporting characters of LotR deserve more recognition for being total heroes, or otherwise, some of literature's best villains. Peter Jackson's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies brought Tolkien's story to a global audience, where it had only had niche popularity before. The Lord of the Rings...

Throughout most of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit film trilogy, the only Dwarves present were Thorin II Oakenshield and his 12 companions, but this changed during The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. When the Men of Lake-town and the Elves of the Woodland Realm marched upon Erebor in an attempt to claim the treasure within, Thorin called for aid from the Dwarves of the Iron Hills, led by his cousin, Lord Dáin II Ironfoot. These Dwarves were fierce warriors who rode on rams and boars, and Gandalf stated that Dáin was even less reasonable than his cousin. Though initially hostile towards the Men and Elves, the Dwarves eventually joined forces with them to combat the mutual threat of the Orcs.

While not as prosperous or prominent in the story as other Dwarven realms, the Iron Hills were an important location in the lore of J. R. R. Tolkien's novels.

The Lord of the Rings remains one of the greatest pieces of fiction ever adapted to cinema, having released two trilogies directed by Peter Jackson and a standalone feature helmed by legendary anime filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama. Furthermore, Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power is constantly expanding the lore of Middle-earth, but there's still a great deal of context to adapt from J. R. R. Tolkien's writings. As a result, Warner Bros. has acquired the rights to make additional films based on the writer's fantasy material, with the upcoming one spearheaded by Andy Serkis.

The director behind the works King Kong, as well as The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, has signed on for a producing role in the upcoming film The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which is still in its development phase. Even though Warner Bros. has not released anything substantial about the film,...

The Lord of the Rings is full of strong and mythical characters, but Galadriel is one of the most intriguing. She is one of the best characters in The Lord of the Rings movies and books, with Tolkien offering multiple different versions of her story. Her tale was full of myth and mystery - J.R.R. Tolkien couldn't quite decide where to place her on the purity scale. She sometimes seemed like an emblem of all that was good and holy and sometimes had more humanity to her, with pride and aggression woven in.

Cate Blanchett famously portrayed Galadriel in Peter Jackson's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies, offering the world the purer version of Galadriel. Dressed in white with a tangible hold on Lothlórien, Galadriel had power that could be physically felt by those in the woods, even when she wasn't reading their minds. Reigning in the woodland...