It has been an amazing year forThe Lord of the Rings, with multiple releases and even more exciting news. With 2024 being such a thrilling year for the franchise, it stands to reason that even more good things are coming up. If 2024 tells fans anything, it is thatviewers can expect lots moreLord of the Ringson their screens in the years to come. There are few studios as huge as Warner Bros.', which has recently expanded uponThe HobbitandLord of the Ringstrilogieswith further additions.
This move sets up a whole decade of content to come, nestled between various seasons of Prime Video’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.The Rings of Powerseason 1launched in 2022 to critical acclaim, creating controversy around its breaks from canon and setting online forums alight with discussion. In general,J.R.R. Tolkien’s worksare seeing a huge resurgence, which can only be a good thing for Tolkien’s legacy and the Tolkien Estate. With Tolkien book sales up in 2024,it’s clear thatLord of the Ringsis in a good place, regardless of any controversy.
10The Tolkien Estate Granted One-Off Rights To Parts Of The Silmarillion
The Rings of Power Got Rights To Certain Aspects Of The Silmarillion
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powermade it known, in its second season, that the Tolkien estate was granting one-off rights to parts of the legendarium. This has huge consequences forThe Lord of the Rings franchise as a whole. If this is possible, anything is, in terms of adaptation.Many fans lament the lack of aSilmarillionadaptation, although many also wouldn’t like to see it adapted.The Rings of Poweris almost as good as aSilmarillionadaptation itself, mixing content from this Tolkien classic with its own original material.
Amazon has the rights toThe HobbitandThe Lord of the Ringsnovels.
The show got rights to the name of Annatar, which does not appear inThe HobbitorThe Lord of the Ringsbut does show up inThe Silmarillion.The Rings of Powerseason 2also showed Celebrimbor’s death, which only appeared in detail inUnfinished Tales. In general,the show was allowed by the Tolkien Estate to adapt the roughly sketched stories from the appendicesthat appear in far greater detail inThe Silmarillion. All of this underscores the potential of future adaptations from Amazon or other studios.
9The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Season 2 Premiered
The Rings Of Power Season 2 Debuted To Positive Reviews
Amazon’s successful series,The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,had its second season debut in August 2024. This moment was immensely exciting for allLord of the Ringsfans, whether they loved or hated the show.Even many of those who disliked season 1 watched season 2, giving it another shot out of love for Tolkien’s story and hope of improvement.
While some preferred season 1 to season 2, and others preferred season 2,The Rings of Powergarnered big enough numbers to warrant a season 3. It even became one of the highest-rated shows worldwide in season 2’s first few weeks, according to Nielsen’s figures.The Rings of Powerseason 2 marked a big departure from season 1, introducing new original characters and diving deep into Celebrimbor’s weird and wonderful relationship with Annatar.
8The Rings Of Power Season 3 Was Confirmed
The Third Season Of Amazon’s Show Is Being Worked On
Prime’sThe Rings of Powerseason 3is being worked on, confirming that fans can definitely expect another season of the fantasy show. Season 2 oftheLotRshow saw a decline in viewershipfrom season 1, despite generally positive reviews. This left fans of the show uncertain about whether it would continue. However, it has since been confirmed thatRings of Powerseason 3 does appear to be on the way.
The Lord of the Rings: the Rings of Powerseasons 1 and 2 can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
Showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne confirmed in an interview withScreen Rantthat they are “prepping now, very, very intensely” for season 3. The show may have to hire some new talent for season 3, which will likely be adapting the rise ofLord of the Rings’nine Ringwraithsand possibly the downfall of a certain island kingdom. Either way,Lord of the Ringsfans can rest assured that the show will return.
7The Lord Of The Rings' Hunt For Gollum Movie Was Announced
The Franchise’s Next Movie Was Confirmed
The announcement ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollumis easily one of the most excitingLord of the Ringsmoments of the year. This incredible announcement confirmed the continuation ofThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy. The trilogy was succeeded byThe Hobbit, but this was really a prequel.The Hunt for Gollumis neither a sequel nor a prequel, fascinatingly.
10 Lord Of The Rings Characters Who Can Return In The Hunt For Gollum
Major characters including Aragorn, Gandalf, Galadriel, and more could return for The Hunt for Gollum, depicting another quest to find the One Ring.
And yet,The Hunt for Gollumshould definitely feel like a continuation of the firstLord of the Ringstrilogy. It will be set between Bilbo’s birthday party and the Fellowship reaching Moria, sitting in the timeline of the first movie in the first trilogy. It will be an accompanying story, showing what was happening behind the scenes during the movie’s events. In this sense,Hunt for Gollumcouldn’t possibly be a more luxurious trip back into Middle-earth.
6Peter Jackson’s Return To The Lord Of The Rings Franchise
Jackson Is Still Making Waves In The Lord Of The Rings Franchise
The legendary Peter Jackson returned toThe Lord of the Ringsfranchisein 2024. The franchise releasedThe War of the Rohirrimin 2024, and it’s gearing up for another movie in 2026. Jackson offered creative input on both projects, which are connected to his own two series of films. There couldn’t be better news forLord of the Rings, which was nurtured by Jackson from a cult literary classic to a worldwide phenomenon.
As director ofLord of the Rings’first two trilogies, Jackson is well-placed to guide it into bold new territory that fans can trust.
Jackson was one of the many executive producers forThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimmovie. He will also produceThe Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which feels right given its place in the timeline. Fortunately,Jackson’s ongoing input makes the franchise reliable. As director ofLord of the Rings’first two trilogies, Jackson is well-placed to guide it into bold new territory that fans can trust.
5Multiple LOTR Cast Members Were Approached About The Hunt For Gollum
Lord Of The Rings' Cast May Return To Screens
SeveralFellowship of the Ringcast members were approached by Warner Bros. in 2024 about appearing in newLord of the Ringsmovies. If this isn’t excitingLord of the Ringsnews, perhaps nothing is. Philippa Boyens, writer ofThe Hunt for Gollummovie, confirmed toThe Playlistthat she has already approached Viggo Mortensen about reprising his role as Aragorn in the upcoming movie. While nothing is confirmed, Warner Bros. seems eager to bring Aragorn back for the project.
10 Lord Of The Rings Mysteries The Rings Of Power Answered In Season 2
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 burst open some Lord of the Rings mysteries, providing mind-boggling original material to explain.
Meanwhile, Orlando Bloom confirmed toVarietythat he would say yes if he was officially asked to play Legolas again. Meanwhile, Bloom confirmed that Andy Serkis had already spoken to him about joining the cast ofThe Hunt for Gollum.Serkis told Bloom that he planned to use AI to tackle aging, making the return of all the Fellowship members possible. Elijah Wood also confirmed his keenness to play Frodo again, while Ian McKellen was asked to be Gandalf inTheHunt for Gollum.
4The Rings Of Power Season 2 Brought Annatar To Life
Sauron’s Classic Fair Form Was Adapted For TV
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerseason 2 brought Annatar to life, making for one ofLord of the Rings’most exciting 2024 moments. This classic Tolkien character isSauron’s fair form, which was taken by him in the Second Age to deceive the Elves of Eregion into making the Rings of Power.This classicSilmarillioncharacter had never been adaptedbeforeThe Rings of Power.
Rings of Powergetting to use the Annatar name was a bonus treat.
The Tolkien estate grantedThe Ring of Powerone-off rightsto use the character’s name in the show. The series would have used the character in some respect, even without this name. They already had a fair form all their own for Sauron: Halbrand. In many ways,TheRings of Powerseason 2 getting to use Annatar’s name was a bonus treat, but it represented a victory in faithfulness for the adaptation.
3The Rings Of Power Finally Brought Tom Bombadil To The Screen
One Of Lord Of The Rings' Most Beloved Characters Was Portrayed On-Screen
The classicLord of the Ringscharacter, Tom Bombadil, appeared inThe Rings of Powerseason 2 in a landmark moment for the franchise. This brilliant character was in J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1954The Lord of the Ringsnovel.Many fans were disappointed when Peter Jackson left him out ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, although the decision was understandable.
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Just over 10 years afterThe Fellowship of the Ring,Rings of Powerfinally brought Bombadil to screens, which felt massive. The wait between the movie that mostLotRfans thought would contain Bombadil and the adaptation that actually contained Bombadil made his final appearance so much better.Rory Kinnear nailed the part, bringing a homely, rural British accent and cheery good nature that made the character feel as comforting as he should.
2Gandalf Was Confirmed To Feature In Two Upcoming Movies
Gandalf Is To Be A Key Player In Upcoming Films
Gandalf is confirmed to feature in not one, but two,Lord of the Ringsmovies in the future. ThisLord of the Ringsicon may be the best character in the novel and movie trilogies, although he has tough competition. Ian McKellen’s portrayal of the Wizard from the very firstLord of the Ringsmovie to the last was exceptional.Gandalf has become the face of more memes than movies, confirming his cultural impact.
Ian McKellen was asked to join the cast ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollumand he expressed his enthusiasm in interviews.There is truly every likelihood that McKellen will return toThe Lord of the Ringsas Gandalf. Even more excitingly, Warner Bros. promised another movie afterHunt for Gollum. Philippa Boyens confirmed that the storyline wasn’t finalized but that she did want Gandalf to appear.
1The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim Launched In Cinemas
The First Lord Of The Rings Anime Debuted In December
In December 2024,The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimdebuted in cinemas, representing the firstLord of the Ringsmovie since 2014. With 10 years between the last movie in the franchise and this one, fans had been waiting with bated breath to see the outcome of Kenji Kamiyama’s directorial debut in the franchise.The anime master showed a whole new side to Tolkien’s storyin the movie.
How Éowyn Knew Héra’s Story In Lord Of The Rings: War Of The Rohirrim (When Everyone Else Forgot It)
Éowyn said that there was no record in Rohan of the heroic Princess Héra, but War of the Rohirrim hinted how she would come to know this story anyway.
Adapting the short story “The House of Eorl,” this pleasant surprise of a tale brought Helm Hammerhand to the big screen. This ancient Rohirrim legend was the lead character of the short story, and he was suitably heroic in the movie. But the movie excelled through focusing on his daughter, Hèra. This newThe Lord of the Ringsmovie proves that there are many different options open to Warner Bros. and other studios, including leading with an original character, in terms of adapting Tolkien’s beloved work.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Cast
Set before the events of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated action-adventure fantasy film that follows a King of Rohan named Helm Hammerhand. When his home comes under siege by Dunlendings, Hammerhand prepares himself and his allies to fight back against them, with the war leading to the eventual establishment of Helm’s Deep.
