What is The Lord Of The Rings?
Lord of the Rings is a trilogy of fantasy novels written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Frequently regarded as one of the greatest writings of the last century, Lord of the Rings was originally intended to be one single novel, however because of its great length, publishers split it up into 3 large books entitled Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and Return of the King. Collectively the three books are referred to as Lord of the Rings.
Lord of the Rings is the story of a small meek creature, a Hobbit named Frodo, and his company of friends, who finds an all powerful ring thrust into his ownership. Not only is the ring a great source of power, but it is also a great source of evil. Sought after by the evil super powerful creature Sauron and his dark henchmen the Nazgul, the fate of the entire world rests on the shoulders of Frodo and his small band.
Who will be in it?
FULL CAST LIST:
Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins
Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn
Sir Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins
Sean Astin as Sam Gamgee
Billy Boyd as Pippin Took
Dominic Monaghan as Merry Brandybuck
Orlando Bloom as Legolas
John Rhys-Davies as Gimli
John Rhys-Davies (voice) as Treebeard
Sean Bean as Boromir
Cate Blanchett as Galadriel
Liv Tyler as Arwen
Christopher Lee as Saruman
Brad Dourif as Grima Wormtongue
Andy Serkis (voice) as Smeagol (Gollum)
Bernard Hill as Theoden
Hugo Weaving as Elrond
Miranda Otto as Eowyn
Marton Csokas as Celeborn
Brian Sergent as Ted Sandyman
Craig Parker as Haldir
David Wenham as Faramir
Karl Urban as Eomer
John Noble as Denethor
Paul Sutera as Lotho Sackville-Baggins
Jay Laga'aia as Ugluk
Stephen Ure as Gorbag
John Leigh as Hama
Bruce Spence as The Mouth of Sauron
Mark Ferguson as Gil Galad
Harry Sinclair as Isildur
Peter MacKenzie as Elendil
Robyn Malcolm as Morwen
Bruce Hopkins as Gamling
Sarah McLeod as Rosie Cotton
Alexandra Astin as Elanor Gamgee
Martyn Sanderson as Harry Goatleaf
Cameron Rhodes as Farmer Maggot
Lawrence Makoare as Lurtz
Sala Baker as Sauron and Lurtz
Who is directing it?
Peter Jackson, who most recently directed The Frighteners.
Where is it being filmed?
Almost entirely on location in New Zealand.
What will the movies be titled?
Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and Return of the King
When will the movies be released?
| Country | Fellowship of the Ring | The Two Towers | Return of the King | |||
| USA | December 19, 2001 | December 18, 2002 | December 17, 2003 | |||
| New Zealand | December 20, 2001 | December 18, 2002 | December 18, 2003 | |||
| UK | December 19, 2001 | December 18, 2002 | December 17, 2003 | |||
| Japan | March 2, 2002 | ??? | ??? | |||
| Germany | December 19, 2001 | December 18, 2002 | December 17, 2003 | |||
| Netherlands | December 20, 2001 | December 18, 2002 | December 17, 2003 | |||
| Australia | December 26, 2001 | December 26, 2002 | December 26, 2003 | |||
| Canada | December 19, 2001 | December 18, 2002 | December 17, 2003 |
What from the books will be left out of or changed in the movie?
It is impossible of course to fit every single element from these novels into the films, but it appears Peter Jackson is doing his best to stay close to the spirit of Tolkiens stories.
Things confirmed to be left out:
Tom Bombadil Songs found in the novel - may be part of the background music The Scouring of the Shire
Things confirmed to be changed [SPOILERS]:
Arwen, played by Liv Tyler, will have a moderately expanded role in the film. Most of this expanded role will be base on notes of Tolkien's, which can be found in the novel's extensive appendices. It is known for certain that she will appear in the film version of The Two Towers even though she does not appear in the novel. Narsil, Aragorn's sword will not be reforged in Rivendell in Fellowship of the Ring. Instead, it will be made anew into Anduril in the last film, Return of the King, and be delivered to him by as of yet known means. Shelob will not appear in The Two Towers but will instead be moved to the third film, Return of the King Peter Jackson & Co. have written entirely original scenes expanding upon the Frodo, Sam, Gollum triangle in The Two Towers since in his words "TTT in general is not long enough to provide material for a whole film." Faramir will also have an increased role. Elves will appear and play some role in the battle of Helm's Deep Shelob has been moved from The Two Towers and will instead appear in Return of the KingHow much of the original dialogue will be kept?
Evidentally much of his dialogue has been kept word for word in the screenplay. Assuredly some of the more famous lines will make it in.
When can I expect to see a DVD for the already in theaters Fellowship of the Ring?
Currently, at least three DVD releases are planned, with the possibility of a fourth once all three movies have been released. Priced at $29.95 it includes the following features:
- The film presented in English Dolby Digital Surround EX and Dolby 2.0 surround
- 3 in-depth documentaries
- 15 featurettes originally created for lordoftherings.net
- Enya "May It Be" music video
- Inside look at the special extended DVD edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Preview of Electronic Arts' video game "The Two Towers"
- Original theatrical trailers and TV spots
- New extended cut of the film including 30 minutes of new footage
- Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen
- 3 audio commentary tracks
- Another four hours of bonus material.
Will any of Tolkien's other books, like "The Hobbit" be made into films?
It is possible that some of Tolkien's other books, like "The Hobbit" or "The Silmarillion" could be made into films, especially if these films do well. However no plans are currently in the works and some of "The Hobbit" may be told in Lord of The Rings through narrative or flashbacks since "The Hobbit" is a precursor to LOTR. Additionally, other books like "The Silmarillion" because of the way they are written could be very difficult to translate to film.
What are Hobbits?
Excerpts from "The Tolkien Beastiery":
When the bright fire of Arien the Sun came into the World and there arose the race of Men, it is claimed that in that same Age there also arose in the East the Halfling people who were called Hobbits. These were a burrowing, hole dwelling people said to be related to Men, yet they were smaller than Dwarves, and the span of their lives was about a hundred years.
Where can I find more information on Lord Of The Rings?
Official LOTR Movie Site - Official site, watch the trailer, nuff said.
The One Ring.net - The biggest LOTR fan site on the web. Best place for complete info.
E-Online - Close up interviews with cast members and crew
Sir Ian Mckellan's Homepage - Homepage of Gandalf himself. Look for interviews and blurbs about his part in LOTR and about the making of the film itself from the first hand perspective.
Lord of the Rings photo gallery
