What’s crazy though, is that Christopher Lee will actually be reprising the role of the White Wizard in the movie—and this is thanks to archival recordings from The Hobbit. This was confirmed by writer Philippa Boyens at the New York Comic-Con (via The One Ring):

“We went into his records, I got to go back and hear his voice. Not just doing the lines, but talking to us as we were recording. We based it on a line from The Hobbit which is, ‘are you in need of assistance my lady?’ something—like a version of that line.”

The line actually comes from this scene in Desolation of Smaug where Galadriel and the rest of the immortals take on the Nazgul:

I’ll admit, I wasn’t a fan of when they decided to “Frankenstein” Carrie Fisher’s performance in The Force Awakens and repurpose it for The Rise of Skywalker, but I would be more forgiving if it was just for the voice and the project was animated.

Boyens did say that they thought of getting someone to sound like Christopher Lee, but it’s great that they found some way to bring him back without having to use some kind of AI trickery. I guess Corey Burton will have to just stick to Clone Wars for now.

Catch Christopher Lee in Lord of the Rings: War for the Rohirrim when it comes to cinemas on Dec. 11.

The good news is, it looks like Prime Video’s LOTR is here to stay—at least for the meantime.

In an interview with Variety, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke confirmed that “there’s no debate” on whether the series will continue. She says:

“Over 55 million people at this point have engaged since Season 2 launched. And if you look at the long-term trajectory, which is how this company looks at an asset like that, this is a long-term investment in that franchise […] There’s well over 150 million viewers watching and engaging with the show. So I feel really good. I think we all do.”

As far as we know, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay were said to have an original plan for the series to last for about 5 seasons. Starting with the formation of the rings, then eventually building up to the War of the Last Alliance—the war that begins the Lord of the Rings trilogy where Sauron is defeated by Isildur.

 While some have pointed out that the US market may not have the kind of numbers expected, the global market has been very positive about Rings of Power, and has already contributed to millions of minutes viewed. The statement continues:

“We’ll continue to make the show as long as we see global customers loving it and watching it to the point where — it is a business. Obviously, we need a large amount of people showing up. And there are a large amount of people.”

With such a high production value that’s evident with each episode, a lot of fans have been worried about Rings of Power being able to keep the quality at a certain point. If anything, the series looks amazing, but fans are starting to tire of having to wait two or more years before the following season comes out.

How has Abbott Elementary managed to release one season per year? It’s insane when you put it next to shows like House of the Dragon that need a lot of time to gestate.

For now, the complete two seasons of LOTR: The Rings of Power are now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Though the forging of the One isn’t hinted at in the series yet, showrunner Patrick McKay talks a bit about Sauron’s current state in the show and his reliance on Celebrimbor. He tells IGN, “I think we can only reflect on what the show has shown us so far, which is that Sauron needs Celebrimbor. So how does Sauron then forge a ring on his own? That’s a big question worthy of lots of dramatic exploration.”

Some fans are speculating that this means that Sauron will have to make a huge sacrifice to create the One Ring. After all, it was said that he had poured his entirety into the One Ring, and that’s why it was so powerful.

Just seeing how the forging of the Rings is also affecting Celebrimbor, it does look like he will completely lose himself once the Nine Rings for Men have been completed. While everyone who has read the books is already sure as to what Celebrimbor’s fate is going to be by the end of the season, McKay does hint that he could have some kind of win over Sauron in the end, with him saying, “How is [Celebrimbor] going to get out of this and find some kind of victory even in defeat… For us, it’s showing the off-ramps and the things that could have gone a different way and then taking it away… If only this had happened, then that could happen, and this could happen, that could happen. And playing with those what-ifs can drive a person crazy.” 

So far, it looks like the Lord of Eregion is still under the grasp of Sauron. With two episodes left, hopefully Celebrimbor gets a satisfying arc, despite what fans know about his fate.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Rings of Power had been met with aggressively negative ‘fans’ online who have started attacking the show for ‘wokeness’ ever since it was announced that Galadriel was the lead, but showrunner J.D. Payne is actually fine with the haters and is actually ‘happy’ that they’re writing about the show.

Talking to The Hollywood Reporter Payne explains:

“… When we see that millions of people are watching this and responding so positively to it — that’s who we’re fighting for. And those who watch every episode and [negatively] write about it on social media and make YouTube videos, we’re happy to have you guys, too. It wouldn’t be a journey through Middle-earth without some trolls along the way.”

Admittedly, what fans of the show are worried about is that the negativity surrounding the series will push people away from checking out Rings of Power, and that could lead to the series’ cancellation before the story gets completed.

With Rings of Power though, it’s said that Amazon is committed to delivering five planned seasons for the show. It does help that a rumor suggests that Jeff Bezos is a Lord of the Rings fan, which means TROP is going to have a budget regardless of what the audience numbers are going to be.

Despite negative fans, there have also been some positive buzz around the show, and this would probably find its way soon to the audience that Rings of Power is looking to grow. Personally I love the series, and I think every character in it, new and familiar, is fantastic and really captures the vibe of the original Peter Jackson movies.

Catch Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Despite the supposed ‘terrible’ series getting constantly bashed online, it does seem that Amazon is set on completing the story that the series is trying to tell. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the third season for Rings of Power has been in development for a while, and Amazon is apparently remaining ‘committed to the show’s original five-season plan.’

It’s not exactly clear what we should expect from all five seasons, but fans have guessed that each season of the show is going to focus on the creation of specific Rings of Power. The first season was for the elven rings, then this second will be on the seven made for the dwarves,  the third will be for the nine forged for men, the fourth could be focused on the forging of just the One Ring, and the final season could build up to the war where Sauron is defeated.

Admittedly, it has been confirmed in a trailer that Sauron demands for ‘The Nine’ which fans can only assume are the Rings, but there will have to be a story about how he manipulates these rings into the hands of Men, and we should also expect to watch them all get slowly corrupted.

Despite the active negativity online, Rings of Power has been getting positive buzz here and there. The series definitely does its homework when it comes to Tolkien, and treatment for characters like Tom Bombadil have been praised online.

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is set to release in theatres this December, and we have our first trailer. Check this out:

“Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg— a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep.”

The film is directed by Kenji Kamiyama who had also worked on properties like Akira, Eden of East, and Ghost in the Shell. Original LOTR trilogy director Peter Jackson is also attached as a producer.

When it comes to the main cast, the movie has actually managed to nab Succession’s Brian Cox as the king of Rohan Helm Hammerhand. Gaia Wise also plays the part of Hera, Helm’s daughter. Luke Pasqualino also plays the part of Wulf.

The movie will also be bringing back Miranda Otto to reprise the role of Eowyn from the original trilogy. Eowyn will be serving as the narrator of the film; which is fitting since, in the lore, the history of Rohan is never written down, but it’s passed along via songs and stories.

Catch The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim when it comes to theatres on Dec. 12.

Just in, they’ve dropped a new trailer that gives a good idea of what to expect this season, and fans were surprised to see a team-up between Galadriel and the Father of Orcs, Adar. Check this out:

Though Galadriel found herself almost killing Adar in the first season, her true enemy has always been Sauron; so it was natural for her and Adar to find a common adversary. With the orcs eventually working for Sauron by the time of Lord of the Rings, it’s likely Adar will meet a tragic end that would result in the orcs working for someone else.

Besides the two, the trailer also gives us a better look at the direct effects that the rings have on the races. We see that it’s already affecting King Durin in Khazad-dum, and it’s possible that we could see the fall of Moria around this time, what with the Balrog that was teased last season.

And while we see that the rings have also helped preserve the elves’ homes, we can also see the corruption that’s happening to the smith Celebrimbor, who was working directly with Annatar/Sauron.

While the show had its ass kicked by House of the Dragon in its first season, I am hoping that they manage to gain some more traction with Season 2. Despite the gatekeepers in the fandom, I think Rings of Power has a great set of new characters and is a great welcome back to Middle-earth.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 comes to Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 29.

With the second season comes new music, and a featurette has been released showcasing how McCreary and his team decided to bring heavy metal into the musical landscape of Rings of Power. Check this out:

Though the series has pretty much nailed the same kind of themes that Howard Shore had introduced with the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, McCreary just ups the ante by introducing some new musical elements himself—and heavy metal would have been the last thing on the list of music that went along with Lord of the Rings.

The featurette doesn’t give us the final sound for Damrod’s theme, but it’s going to be interesting to see him enter the battlefield for the first time. I feel like it’s going to be the same amount of hype Wonder Woman’s entrance in Batman v Superman was able to get thanks to the mood set by the theme as well.

The second season of TROP can’t come soon enough.

Here’s the official description:

Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will. Building on Season 1’s epic scope and ambition, Season 2 of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 comes to Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 29.

Reveals have been going steady for the show to hype up the August premiere, and we just got a new featurette highlighting the creation of the rings. Check this out:

With the first season ending with the creation of the elven rings, this featurette confirms that the dwarven rings will also be forged in this season.

I’ll admit, I’m kind of confused about Celembrimbor working with Sauron again since he got outed in the first season, but it looks like the elven blacksmith just doesn’t realize that this new ‘gift-giver’ wasn’t the same guy that screwed them over back in the first season.

With the first season of TROP having to compete with House of the Dragon when it came out, it was pretty smart for Amazon to actually wait out the second season of HOTD before premiering TROP 2. Despite the prestige of the LOTR franchise, it doesn’t manage to generate as much online buzz compared to the more scandalous plot points like a dragon princess getting seduced by her uncle.

After some time with the first season to rest, maybe more people are now ready to jump back into Middle-earth with the next season of Rings of Power.

Here’s the official description for Season 2 of TROP:

Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will.

Building on Season 1’s epic scope and ambition, Season 2 of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.

Watch out for Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power when it premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 29.

 During a group interview on set (via Collider) showrunner Patrick McKay confirms that the second season of ROP will feature the Grey Havens. McKay confirms that they are shooting the Havens in Lindon and they are going to be expanding on the elvish port.

For the more casual Lord of the Rings fans, the Grey Havens are considered to be Middle-earth’s entry point into ‘heaven’ or ‘paradise’. After Frodo couldn’t manage to heal himself from the wound he received from the morgul blade, he is then allowed to go to the havens where he boards a ship to the Undying Lands—where he could possibly be healed finally.

The first season of Rings of Power did tease the Undying Lands with Galadriel being sent there initially, but she then jumps off the boat because she’s convinced that she hasn’t caught the evil that she was hunting down for a while.

We don’t know how the Grey Havens will be used in Rings of Power, but fans should expect it to be more populated by elves. After all, this was before the fall of Numenor, and we should expect a lot of the ancient towns in the LOTR trilogy to be younger and livelier.

The second season of The Rings of Power premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 29.

As revealed by Empire, a new troll character by the name of Damrod the Hill-troll is said to be inspired by Saul Goodman’s occasional private investigator. Showrunner Patrick McKay shares, “[He] was inspired in part by Mike Ehrmantraut in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul… if you look at the way he moves and his casual sense of strength.”

Not much is known about Damrod yet, but his first image has him facing the “Father of Orcs” Adar (now played by Samuel Hazeldine):

Meet #TheRingsOfPower Season 2's new Hill-troll, Damrod.

“[He] was inspired in part by Mike Ehrmantraut in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul,” showrunner Patrick McKay tells Empire.

READ MORE: https://t.co/A4PGjKggeS pic.twitter.com/TEMjyVJInD

— Empire Magazine (@empiremagazine) July 1, 2024

Damrod is also described as an ‘eater of dragon bones’ and ‘ready to deal out serious damage with its significant stature and grouchy demeanor.’ With the first season of Rings of Power giving spotlight to the orcs in Adar’s army, it’s going to be interesting to see how more creatures come to the service of Sauron. Can we even expect these earlier trolls to be smarter than the ones we meet in Lord of the Rings?

Going back to Mike though, it’s funny that he should be the inspiration for a troll character. At this point, it was kind of expected. The show would make fun of Mike occasionally (like calling him ‘Uncle Fester’), but there was one scene in Better Call Saul when Jimmy literally calls Mike a ‘troll under the bridge’. It was only a matter of time.

Catch the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power when it premieres on Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 29.

Check this out:

Every Dark Lord needs a menacing tower in which to dwell. Watch as LEGO Sauron weaves his magic to build the new LEGO® The Lord of the Rings: Barad-dûr in this Animated Speed Build!

Kick back and relax to the soothing sound of each LEGO brick clicking into place as this one-of-a-kind set comes to life.

What’s fun is that one of the rooms in the building is supposed to be an orc mess hall, and there’s one board there that’s supposed to be a menu with a picture of meat on it.

My favorite Easter Egg in the LEGO Barad-dur set #LOTR pic.twitter.com/Oj3wPl12r0

— yoodadude (@yoodadude) June 11, 2024

If you know your online LOTR discourse, you’ll know that there has been some discussion on one of the scenes from The Two Towers where an orc complains about not having any meat; leading the commander Ugluk to kill him, and famously proclaim, “Looks like meat’s back on the menu, boys!”

While it does seem like a fun violent gag in the film, this has lead fans to argue about orcs, and how they would even know what a menu was. Have they been served at a restaurant before? Can they even read?

Apparently, someone who worked on the Barad-dur set knew all about this argument, and decided to answer, “Yes, orcs definitely know what a menu is. There’s one in Sauron’s castle in the mess hall.”

The Barad-dur set from Lord of the Rings is now available at the LEGO store.

Rory Kinnear was a #LOTR novice before signing on to play Tom Bombadil in ‘The Rings of Power.’

“I was honest—I hadn’t read it,” he tells VF. But, he “knew instantly then that it had a cultural heft to it that I was going to have to be sensitive to.” https://t.co/DiieKd1UCA

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) May 29, 2024

If you’ve read the books, you’ll know that Bombadil is a character that shows up early in the story, right between Frodo and Sam leave for the Shire, and them arriving in Bree. He’s admittedly a very kooky, whimsical character, and a lot of people agreed that he would kind of mess up the tone of the entire story and theyre happy that he was removed from the films.

Talking to Vanity Fair, showrunners J.D.  Payne and Patrick McKay have explained why they think Bombadil is often avoided in LOTR adaptations. Payne explains:

“There’s a reason why he hasn’t been in prior adaptations, because in some ways he’s sort of an anti-dramatic character… He’s not a character who has a particularly strong agenda. He observes drama, but largely doesn’t participate in it. In The Fellowship of the Ring, the characters kind of just go there and hang out for a while, and Tom drops some knowledge on them.”

“Knowledge that’s not particularly relevant to anything that they’re doing or about to do,” adds McKay.

For Rings of Power though, it does look like we’re going to be meeting Bombadil before he settles near the Shire, and it looks like his story is going to be closely tied to the arrival of Gandalf (and the rest of the wizards/maiar) and settling of the harfoots (harfeet?).

With so many bashing Rings of Power for not sticking to the source material, I think it’s great that they managed to bring in someone as kooky as Tom Bombadil. I don’t expect him to sing any silly songs, but I’m sure the series could find  a way to make the most of his character.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is set to return to Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 29.

Check this out:

Here’s the official description for the second season:

Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will. Building on Season 1’s epic scope and ambition, Season 2 of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other.

Here’s also a better look at Sauron in his elven disguise:

Evil has had many names. The Rings Of Power returns August 29 on @PrimeVideo. pic.twitter.com/blqhy6QleI

— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@TheRingsofPower) May 14, 2024

The first season had ended with the forging of the three rings of the elves, so we should expect the second season to focus on the forging of the seven dwarven rings. Nine were made for the mortal men (who then became the Nazgul), and the One Ring was made for Sauron—making that a total of twenty rings.

Admittedly, Rings of Power has been having an uphill battle when it comes to its online reputation. Not only did it get overshadowed by House of the Dragon when it came out, but there has also been a branch of fans who have been hell bent on review-bombing the show for its ‘wokeness’. You can even read ROP slander on Game of Thrones threads.

Regardless, there have been some who have been supportive of the series, and appreciate the return to Middle-Earth. Personally, I think they capture the tone of the Peter Jackson films pretty well, and I’m eager to see where it goes. Sure it’s not as scandalous as HOTD, but I appreciate some ‘clean’ meticulous fantasy now and then.

Plus Morfydd Clark is a fantastic Galadriel.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on Aug. 29.

According to the BBC, Hill passed in the morning of May 5 at the age of 79. He was actually meant to make an appearance at Comic-Con Liverpool alongside other LOTR cast members, but he wasn’t able to make the event.

At the event though, Sean Astin and the rest of the Hobbit actors Elijah Wood, Dominic Mognahan, and Billy Boyd were able to make a tribute to Hill moments after news broke out that the actor had passed. Check this out:

The 4 Hobbits pay their respects to Bernard Hill at Liverpool Comic Con

"He was intrepid, he gruff, he was irascible." – Sean Astin

Echoing Sean's words, Billy Boyd, said: “We were watching the movies and I said to Dom, I don’t think anyone spoke Tolkien’s words as great as… pic.twitter.com/fNzOLpVh2o

— Fellowship of Fans (@FellowshipFans) May 5, 2024

Elijah Wood, on his Twitter, also posted a photo of Hill (by Viggo Mortensen no doubt) paying tribute to him:

So long to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill.

We will never forget you.

“For he was a gentle heart and a great king and kept his oaths; and he rose out of the shadows to a last fair morning.”

photo by Viggo pic.twitter.com/lxjepm5rUZ

— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) May 5, 2024

Though the Fellowship actors usually get the most attention when it comes to the fandom, King Theoden has the great role of having some very epic monologues before he rides forth to death. The ‘Forth Eorlingas’ is considered to be one of the most epic cinematic moments of all-time for several fans; but there is also the last ride during the Battle of Helm’s Deep right before Gandalf’s arrival:

Besides Lord of the Rings, Hill is probably best known for his role as Captain Edward Smith of James Cameron’s Titanic. His last role is in the series The Responder starring alongside Hobbit star Martin Freeman.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is now available to stream on HBO Max.

No trailers or previews have been dropped yet, but series director Charlotte Brändström does talk a bit about coming back for the show and how the story will progress past the first season. Talking to Drama Quarterly, she explains, “…the new season is definitely darker. It’s edgy, there’s more drama. I don’t control everything, but I hope people like it.”

Just like any big IP with an established fandom—like Star Wars or Avatar: The Last Airbender—new creators always find the fandom is almost always impossible to please; and the same goes for Lord of the Rings.

When Rings of Power first came out, there were review bombings online and people complaining about how it wasn’t the Peter Jackson movies or how they drew away from the source material. Brändström addresses these problems:

“The sad thing is a lot of people had judged the show before it even came out, so that was actually tough. But then you try to adapt to that and see what they are really looking for.”

Some fans were mixing Peter Jackson’s films with Tolkien’s work, and we’ve been trying to stay true to Tolkien and give it a really cool look. I love Peter Jackson’s films – that’s why I got involved in the first place. So I guess we’ve tried to mix everything.”

For now, the stage is set with the reveal of Sauron and the creation of Mordor; but there is still the case of the other Rings of Power getting forged. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

In the meantime, catch Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Though it could be a while before we get the next season of Rings of Power or the animated War of the Rohirrim movie, the 30th Annual SAG Awards just gave us a fun little reunion between Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin). Watch this:

They actually callback to 20 years ago when Wood couldn’t be present during the SAG Awards, then we have some cheeky banter about Astin having Wood’s trophy and ‘casting it into the fire.’

Though this is the first time we’ve seen the duo officially onscreen together, Wood and the other Hobbit actors Dominic Mognahan and Billy Boyd have been sharing on social media that the actors do get together once in a while to catch up. Here’s a post back from 2022:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by •ᎥήiⒸ ภαᵍђＡ• (@dom_monaghan_)

For now, it does seem that Wood and Astin’s time with LOTR is long done, and it does seem the franchise is happy to just go backwards and tell stories of the prequels, what with J.R.R. Tolkien having written some pretty extensive lore on the subject. Should Frodo and Sam return, I imagine it will have something to do with what happens in the Age of Aragorn’s rule, but even then you can imagine all the angry LOTR purists refusing to have anything new added to their well-studied lore.

In the meantime, you can watch Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Here are some of the memes coming out:

"Elrond, his legs are short, he's a defensive liability, and I question whether the sword speed's still there."

"The legs are short. We'll be lucky to get six battles out of him. Why do you like him?"

[Elrond snaps fingers and points to Arwen]

"Because he gets to Mordor." https://t.co/IZjTYNOko4 pic.twitter.com/hLQ9vB3Gj6

— Joshua Tait (@Joshua_A_Tait) December 27, 2023

Elrond: Walking into Mordor isn't that hard, tell em Bor.

Borimir: it's incredibly hard. https://t.co/UXcNcv2V2K pic.twitter.com/XEqnqbgXWf

— mark ferrera (@markferrera1) December 27, 2023

“I like Samwise, could be a good ring bearer”
“Hasn’t made a move on Rosie”
“So?”
“That means no confidence, plus he’s a little thick on the waist” https://t.co/QiYs9sE4uJ pic.twitter.com/LmZWuDoAoP

— Charlie (@charlie_stew98) December 27, 2023

"Billy, this is Gimli, son of Glóin. He's an able warrior, and at 139, he's in the prime of his career. The downside is he's racist, but I think he could overcome that by the end of the season…" https://t.co/zDs7UCUTLZ pic.twitter.com/nqxtAtUsZx

— Not the RTÉ News (@notthertenews) December 27, 2023

Gandalf might be gone, but we might might be able to recreate him in the aggregate, Gollum's IM percentage (in Mordor) is the highest in Middle Earth, I don't care if the scouts say he has a weird voice, I just care if he gets into Mordor https://t.co/3U3Ye46Ccx pic.twitter.com/1cGgLSGG8I

— Myles (@rizzlerofcook) December 27, 2023

https://t.co/KnGCFZ5QPi pic.twitter.com/gp8UsJIz32

— Jake From Snake Farm (@realSnakeFarm) December 27, 2023

The joke essentially started with @ToLey88 joking about Saruman criticizing Elrond for putting together a fellowship which consisted of four hobbits. This was then used to come up with the premise of Elrond putting together the fellowship based on stats a la Moneyball.

Elrond putting together the Fellowship roster https://t.co/Ov5cQT7Iiz pic.twitter.com/bVe4aYsNS8

— QQ (@HeylKatme) December 26, 2023

Just in case you haven’t checked out Moneyball, the movie (written by Aaron Sorkin) is based on the real-life story of Oakland A’s manager Billy Beane as he assembles a baseball team based on player’s statistics. Essentially, since the team couldn’t afford any ace players, they decided to do the math and hire cheaper players who may not be great all around, but could add up to one good player. The trailer simplifies the concept:

Nobody could have predicted that the Moneyball and Lord of the Rings franchise would suddenly have something great to joke about on Twitter; and during the Christmas season no less.

Twitter is awesome because I don’t know anyone irl who exists in the middle of the “Moneyball” and “LOTR” Venn diagram, but in here you have a bunch of people riffing on a joke I didn’t even think could exist https://t.co/jcSI4KYIDJ

— Zora Neale Thirstin' (@illnessideology) December 28, 2023

We don’t know what kind of crossover is in store for movie fans down the line, but after Barbenheimer and this LOTR/Moneyball meme, I can’t wait to see what franchises could come together next.

Check this out:

We don’t have a look at any gameplay, but it seems like it’s going to be a more PG-friendly game as the official description reads:

“Tales of the Shire is an upcoming cosy Hobbit game that will transport you to the world of Middle-earth.”

So far, the only video games that seem to come out of the Lord of the Rings franchise are all action fantasy games from Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor to the recently released (and badly reviewed) LOTR: Gollum.

Based on how the Shire is written in the books and the official description, I’m guessing that Tales from the Shire is going to be a relaxing farming sim which will allow players to plant gardens, farm, fish, and refurbish their own very hobbit holes.

If you read the books, you’ll know that the Shire is supposed to represent this simple haven away from all the big wars and battles that have been plaguing the other races, so if they want to set a game here, I’m sure it will only have things to do with what hobbits are good at which include farming, eating, and smoking.

Hopefully we get a gameplay reveal before the year ends.

Tales of the Shire is set to launch sometime in 2024.

First off, here’s the post:

"And Aragorn gave it a new name and called it Andúril, Flame of the West." pic.twitter.com/zi1JQBCHjb

— Magic: The Gathering (@wizards_magic) May 28, 2023

For context, the most popular version of Aragorn is the one played by Viggo Mortensen in the Lord of the Rings films, and it’s this version that’s influenced so many other takes on the character throughout the years.

Just like with Halle Bailey on The Little Mermaid, a lot of backlash is already flooding the comment section with more or the less the same kind of comments on how racebending Aragorn is a political move by the studio.

Despite what the angry nerds are saying, there are some who think that the design is great, and I honestly love how original it feels; especially with the signature flair of the Magic: The Gathering art style.

Aragorn is just one piece of art that’s been revealed, but Magic is set to give us a better look at the game on their Youtube channel. Hopefully we’ll be able to see a new take on other characters like Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, Gimli, and the rest of the Fellowship. You can check out the countdown here:

The official description reads:

You’re invited to a party of special magnificence at your local game store where you can join in fun Prerelease events and get one of the Bilbo’s Birthday Scene Cards.

Note: The comment section on the Youtube video isn’t pretty either.

Watch out for the Magic: The Gathering| The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth reveal which takes place on May 30. Prerelease for the game is said to take place on June 16.