TheOneRing.net is pleased to announce that its book, Middle-earth Madness, originally published when The Hobbit movies were being released, has been updated! The book now includes an analysis of all three Hobbit films, many interviews and photos, and a look back at The Lord of the Rings movies as well. It is available for purchase in paperback and for Kindle at Amazon. U.S. residents can order here. Canadian residents can order here. U.K. residents can order here. Other regions can find it at their local Amazon affiliate by searching for “Middle-earth Madness.”

Emmy winner for “Get Back” involved in the final song ever from The Beatles, with a music video that will “bring a few tears to the eye.”

The Beatles – those from the group who are still with us – announced that Peter Jackson is making the music video for “Now and Then” which is to be the final new song ever produced with the foursome of John, Paul, George and Ringo. The group used the same audio technology that helped Jackson win an Emmy award to clean up the vocals of an old cassette tape recorded by John Lennon, who died in 1980. Additional vocals and guitar were added by George Harrison in 1995, but never completed. Paul and Ringo this year added their parts to the song with Giles Martin, son of longtime Beatles producer George Martin, finishing production.

In a lengthy artist’s statement posted by Peter Jackson, it is revealed that new footage has been found of The Beatles performing with original drummer Pete Best. When describing the tone of the video, Jackson says, “We wanted the short film to bring a few tears to the eye. We tried to craft something that could adequately sum up the enormity of The Beatles’ legacy – in the last few seconds of their final recording. This proved to be impossible. Their contribution to the world is too immense, and their wondrous gift of music has become part of our DNA and now defies description.

“Dhani Harrison happened to be visiting NZ at this time. I discussed the ending with him, and described one vague idea I’d been toying with. His eyes immediately filled with tears – so that is the way we went.”

Peter Jackson

Disney+ and many tv stations worldwide will have a 12 minute behind-the-scenes documentary featuring The Beatles and Peter Jackson, today, November 1. The song “Now and Then” releases on all music platforms with the Jackson directed music video this week.

Additional Spy Reports from the TORn Tuesday podcast hint at Peter Jackson following this up with a new second documentary series on the break up of The Beatles, as a sequel to his Emmy winning Get Back series. Nothing has been confirmed at this time.

Will Peter Jackson return to The Lord of the Rings under the new WB and Embracer movie deal? He’s confirmed they are talking. But when The Beatles call, priorities change! Now that the music video is done and out, perhaps he will reconsider coming back for more Middle-earth.

The Hollywood Reporter in conjunction with Prime Video recently posted a series of behind-the-scenes videos focusing on the set design in the Prime Video series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”.

The “Building Middle-earth” series of videos show details that can be missed while watching the series at home. The commentary by set designers, actors, and craftspeople reveals insights and secrets about the decisions that went into the direction the series took and how it was made. The craft and care that went into the sets is truly amazing! It’s the type of stuff Ringers everywhere are trying to spy out about the Season 2 of the show.

You can watch the series here:
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/building-middle-earth/

Begun by The Tolkien Society in 2003, March 25th – the date of the downfall of Barad-dûr – is Tolkien Reading Day, a day to celebrate the works and worlds of the Professor. This year, something special is in the works, for your listening pleasure!

In May of last year, we let you know about an exciting project by composer and sound engineer Jordan Rannells. He is creating ‘an immersive audio soundscape‘ – music and ambient sounds to create a world around you, as you read The Lord of the Rings.

Tomorrow you can experience some of this incredible audio adventure. Rannells is joining with the folks from ArdaCraft to create a live stream event, where parts of The Fellowship of the Ring will be read over the corresponding chapters of Rannell’s A Long-Expected Soundscape. This 10-hour (or so!) stream will include guest readers from the Prancing Pony Podcast, James Tauber of the Digital Tolkien Project, and more – including TORn’s own staffer greendragon, who’ll pop in briefly early on in the proceedings! ArdaCraft will be providing the visuals.

The whole thing kicks off at 1pm EDT tomorrow, Saturday 25th March, and you can join the live stream here. The event will only be available live – you won’t be able to catch it later – but of course you can drop in and out as your day permits. Spend a little – or a lot! – of Reading Day immersed in Middle-earth, courtesy of these amazing, creative folks.

Watch the video below for a little more information about the event; then join the fun from 1pm EDT tomorrow.

Our friends at Diamond Select Toys sent a copy of Aragorn, Frodo, and the Moria Orc for theonering.net to take a look at.

As I said in my last review I think for the price, as well as the detailing, these are definitely worth the $29.99 you can get them for. I especially like these for collectors who enjoyed the Toy Biz line, released during The Lord of the Rings Trilogy run in theaters. Also, like the other figures released so far, you get pieces to put together to build your own Sauron. You can get these figures now! So if you have any extra Christmas cash, these figures are well worth using it on.

Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Diamond Select Toys Aragorn, Frodo, and Moria Orc Review”

A second round of new casting for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been announced by Prime Video. Eight new cast members – mostly stalwarts of British television and theatre and with impressive credentials – have been revealed. Previous appearances by these actors include shows such as Game of Thrones, Bodyguard, Versailles, The Sandman, Bridgerton, and The Crown.

Here’s the official press release:

The One Ring
Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Announces Additional New Cast Members for Season Two
Eight additional new actors join the existing cast of the global hit series in recurring roles for the forthcoming second season, currently in production in the UK.

CULVER CITY, California—December 7, 2022—The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which has been viewed by over 100 million people worldwide and has been an unprecedented global success as the top Original series for Prime Video in every region in its first season, has announced an additional eight new recurring cast members for the forthcoming second season, currently in production in the UK. 

The new cast members are Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Stuart Bowman, Gavi Singh Chera, William Chubb, Kevin Eldon, Will Keen, Selina Lo, and Calam Lynch.

OLIVER ALVIN-WILSON
OLIVER ALVIN-WILSON

OLIVER ALVIN-WILSON

Oliver Alvin-Wilson’s television credits include The Bay (ITV), as “Guy Townsend,” Murder in Provence (ITV) as “Luc Martinez,” Collateral (BBC) as ”Chips Benson” and Lovesick (Netflix) as “Alex.” In film, Oliver has been seen in HarknessWonder Woman 1984, and The Huntsman. He has appeared on stage in All of Us (National Theatre), Henry VI Rebellion/War of the Roses (Royal Shakespeare Company), The Twilight Zone (Almeida Theatre/Ambassadors Theatre), The Doctor (Almeida Theatre), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Young Vic Theatre) and Nine Night (National Theatre/Trafalgar Studios) among many others.

STUART BOWMAN
STUART BOWMAN

STUART BOWMAN

Stuart Bowman can currently be seen in the television series The Pact (BBC), Karen Pirie (ITV), and The Control Room (BBC). He has previously played recurring roles in Alex Rider (Prime Video), Guilt (BBC), Bodyguard (Netflix), Versailles (Netflix), Grantchester (ITV), and Deadwater Fell (Channel 4) opposite David Tennant. Stuart’s work in film includes Man and WitchThe CursedSunset Song, and Slow West. His recent theatre credits include Macbeth (Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre) as “Macduff.”

GAVI SINGH CHERA
GAVI SINGH CHERA

GAVI SINGH CHERA

Gavi Singh Chera was most recently seen in the television series The Undeclared War (Channel 4) and The Lazarus Project (Sky). Other television credits include Vera (ITV) and Doctors (BBC). On stage, Gavi has appeared in productions including The Cherry Orchard (The Yard Theatre), Our Generation, Behind the Beautiful Forevers (National Theatre), Duck, 1922: The Waste Land (Jermyn Street Theatre) and Pygmalion (Headlong).

WILLIAM CHUBB
WILLIAM CHUBB

WILLIAM CHUBB

William Chubb is a prolific actor whose television credits include Vampire Academy (Peacock), The Sandman (Netflix), Pistol (Hulu), QuizJonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (BBC), Law & Order: UK (ITV)and House of Cards (BBC). On stage, William has appeared in numerous productions including The Tempest (Theatre Royal Bath), The Taxidermist’s Daughter (Chichester Festival Theatre), Witness for the Prosecution (County Hall, London), Othello (Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre) and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Old Vic). His film credits include Sam Mendes’ Empire of LightA Week in Paradise, and Adrift in Soho.

KEVIN ELDON
KEVIN ELDON

KEVIN ELDON

Kevin Eldon is a well-known performer in television, film and theatre. On television, Kevin has starred in Game of Thrones (HBO), Shadow And Bone (Netflix), Inside Number 9 (BBC) and has had recurring roles in Trigger Point (Peacock) and Dad’s Army. He also appeared in The Crown (Netflix), Criminal: UK (Netflix) and Doctor Who (BBC). In film, he has been seen in Martin Scorsese’s HugoHot FuzzFour Lions and Set Fire to the Stars opposite Elijah Wood.

WILL KEEN
WILL KEEN

WILL KEEN

Will Keen will soon start production on Prime Video’s My Lady Jane. He most recently wrapped the indie feature Borderland opposite Felicity Jones and Mark Strong, as well as the TV series The Gold (BBC1/Viacom). He was most recently seen in Ridley Road (BBC) and The Pursuit of Love (BBC) opposite Andrew Scott and Emily Beecham. His other TV credits include His Dark Materials (HBO), The Crown (Netflix), Genius: Picasso (National Geographic), Wolf Hall (BBC) and The Musketeers (BBC). Stage credits include Patriots (Almeida Theatre), Ghosts (Almeida Theatre), Waste (Almeida Theatre), Quartermaine’s Terms (Wyndham’s Theatre), The Arsonists (Royal Court) and The Coast of Utopia (National Theatre).

SELINA LO
SELINA LO

SELINA LO

Selina Lo is a British-Asian actress and former martial arts champion, whose film credits include starring in Boss Level (Hulu) as “Guan Yin” and Hellraiser (Hulu) as “The Gasp.”  Her work in television includes a recurring role in One Child (BBC) as “Xu Lian.”

CALAM LYNCH
CALAM LYNCH

CALAM LYNCH

Calam Lynch was most recently seen in Bridgerton (Netflix) as “Theo Sharpe.” Other television credits include Derry Girls (Channel 4) as “John Paul O’Reilly” and Mrs. Wilson (BBC) as “Gordon Wilson.” In film, Calam starred in Black Beauty (Disney+), Benedictionopposite Jack Lowden, and Dunkirk. He has appeared in theatre in productions including Much Ado About Nothing (The Rose Theatre) and Wife (The Kiln Theatre).

The One Ring

All eight first season episodes are now available to stream exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories in multiple languages. 

The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the farthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.  

The first season of The Rings of Power has been an unprecedented success, viewed by more than 100 million people worldwide, with more than 24 billion minutes streamed. The highly anticipated series attracted more than 25 million global viewers on its first day, marking the biggest premiere in the history of Prime Video, and also debuted as the No. 1 show on Nielsen’s overall streaming chart in its opening weekend. The show has also broken all previous Prime Video records for the most viewers, and has driven more Prime sign-ups worldwide during its launch window than any other previous content. Additionally, The Rings of Power is the top Original series in every region—North America, Europe, APAC, LATAM, and the rest of the world. The season finale also created a global cultural moment, with multiple series-themed hashtags, including #TheRingsofPower and others, trending in 27 countries across Twitter for over 426 cumulative hours throughout the weekend.

Season Two of the series is produced by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay. They are joined by executive producers Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, and Gennifer Hutchison, along with co-executive producer Charlotte Brandstrom, producers Kate Hazell and Helen Shang, and co-producers Andrew Lee, Matthew Penry-Davey, and Clare Buxton.  

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