Following the success of the #Hobbitathon where Andy Serkis – who played Gollum in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings film trilogies – raised over £300,000 for charity, HarperCollins decided to release an audiobook of The Hobbit with Serkis’s narration. Due to that popularity, a brand new and unabridged audiobook of The Lord of the Rings will be released in three parts in September. More here.
Production for season two of the new Amazon show will move to the UK. Read more here.
As the shoot of the TV series wraps up in New Zealand we are given a teasing shot from the production. Find more here.
Stephen Colbert will host a trio of cinema-only Lord of the Rings cast reunions as part of Alamo Drafthouse’s free series to encourage moviegoers to return to their local independent theaters following a year ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is with sadness that we say goodbye to Ian Holm who passed away today at the age of 88. He played Bilbo Baggins in ‘The Lord Of The Rings’ movie trilogy and reprised the role in ‘The Hobbit’. He well understood the world of Tolkien as he had previously played Frodo in a radio drama of LOTR. We will all miss him.
Read his obituary here.
An announcement by Amazon Studios states that all location and studio filming has been suspended for two weeks, although it is likely to continue for longer. We wish all involved the very best and to keep safe. More here
Calling all weirdos. The new Amazon series is short of ‘interesting’ people to play baddies. Read more here.
Tom Shippey and John Howe are on board the Amazon Prime bus, according to the lotronprime trailer.
Tom Shippey gives an interview here describing what they can and cannot do in the story. There will be twenty episodes in the first series.
It looks like the Secondary World will be going home to New Zealand. The new Amazon TV production will be based at Queenstown. More here.
Amazon’s new Middle earth series is to be set in the Second Age, if this map is anything to go by. Will we meet Elrond again? And Galadriel and Celeborn?
