Now that the new TV series has begun you might want to discuss it with other members and here’s the place to go.

This is the Second Age, where the 20 Rings of Power are forged and the evil Sauron, Lord of Mordor, rises to assault the realms’ hard-won peace.

But what everyone really wants to know is, can it compete with Peter Jackson’s beloved Lord of the Rings film trilogy, the winner of 17 Oscars, benchmark for composers, and populariser of second breakfast?

Can The Rings of Power walk the line of pleasing them, while also making sense for viewers coming to the story for the first time?

Read more on the BBC website.

Here is the final trailer for ‘The Rings of Power’ which is due for release in September.
Amazon Prime trailer

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.

https://drafthouse.com/event/lord-of-the-rings-cast-reunion-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-fellowship-of-the-ring-cast-reunion

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.