During San Diego Comic-Con 2023 this year our friends at Diamond Select Toys had several new collectibles for fans to contemplate getting when they are available for order. Two of those pieces were the awesome Gandalf the White Gallery Diorama, and the Aragorn Gallery Diorama. This is a new line of collectibles for the DST The Lord of the Rings line, with them both being around 9″ tall. You can order both right now via the DST site, with Gandalf coming in at $75 and shipping in quarter one of next year, and Aragorn coming in at $59, with him shipping in the back half of this year.

We hope you enjoyed this April Fools’ Day joke for 2023. (Though wouldn’t a LEGO Lord of the Rings be fun…?)

Since it was announced in February of this year that Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema had secured a deal with Embracer Group to create more Middle-earth movies, fans have been waiting eagerly to hear what would be the first movie on the slate. (We already know, of course, about The War of the Rohirrim, due April 2024.) As it turns out, the next feature to be set in Tolkien’s realms is not what one might have expected – though it does stay in the world of animation (and of course we did just see the release of the Rivendell LEGO set). We’re thrilled that TORN has been given the exclusive to reveal: Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have announced today that a new Lord of the Rings LEGO movie is set to be released in 2025.

Here’s the official press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW LINE CINEMA AND WARNER BROS. ANIMATION’S “THE LORD OF THE RINGS: A LEGO ADVENTURE’ ARRIVES IN CINEMAS ON APRIL 1, 2025

The Studio behind the cinematic blockbuster “Lord of the Rings” trilogy returns with an original animated film, bringing the legends of Middle-earth into the world of LEGO

BURBANK, CA, April 1, 2023 – Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that the animated movie ‘The Lord of the Rings: A LEGO Adventure’, from New Line Cinema and in partnership with The LEGO Group, will release in theaters on April 1, 2025.

This whimsical animated adaptation of the beloved, epic tale is set to hit theaters April 2025, bringing together fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary saga and LEGO enthusiasts alike, for an unforgettable journey through Middle-earth as it’s never been seen before.

Esteemed actors Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis will both return to their respective roles as Gandalf and Gollum. The all-star voice cast also includes:

  • Jim Broadbent as Bilbo Baggins, the eccentric and adventurous hobbit who sets the stage for Frodo’s journey
  • Austin Butler as Frodo Baggins, the courageous and unexpected hero on a quest to save Middle-earth
  • James D’Arcy as Samwise Gamgee, Frodo’s loyal gardener and self-appointed guardian
  • Simon Pegg as Meriadoc Brandybuck, the wisest of Frodo’s three Hobbit companions
  • Nick Frost as Peregrin Took, the youngest of the Hobbits on this quest, mission, thing
  • Chris Pine as Aragorn, the mighty and charismatic heir to the throne of Gondor
  • Genevieve O’Reilly as Galadriel, the fierce and fabulous Elven queen, with unmatched power and style
  • Michael Shannon as Denethor, the troubled steward of Gondor whose descent into madness is as captivating as it is chilling

A playful reimagining of the classic story, ‘The Lord of the Rings: A LEGO Adventure’ comes more than 22 years after the culmination of Sir Peter Jackson’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy based on the iconic books by J.R.R. Tolkien. The films are among the most successful and acclaimed of all time, winning seventeen Oscars including eleven for “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” tying the record for a single film. This new movie promises to be a blockbuster adventure that captures the heart and spirit of the original story, while adding a touch of humour and creativity that only the world of LEGO can provide.

“With Sir Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis reprising their iconic roles as Gandalf and Gollum, we wanted to sew a thread of familiarity into this particular production,” said Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group. “At the same time, we wanted to bring new and surprising voices to the other characters to give them a fresh and unique take. We’re confident that this talented group of actors will breathe new life into this classic tale, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience this new journey through Middle-earth.”

Animation work has already begun; more exciting voice casting will be announced imminently.  The film will be distributed theatrically worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema.

From Middle-earth to Mother Goose… Ian McKellen has often spoken of his love of pantomime – a passion he shares with fellow actor Adam Brown (Ori in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy). McKellen debuted as a Dame at the Old Vic back in 2004; and last year Brown wrote and directed a pantomime at the Newbury Corn Exchange. (He’s part of a team who write and direct – and who will be at it again at the Corn Exchange this coming Christmas!)

Now they will appear in pantomime together, in a production of Mother Goose. The show will run in London (at the Duke of York’s theatre) Dec 15 2022 to Jan 23 2023. Before that, Mother Goose starts out in Brighton; and in the early part of 2023 it will play in Liverpool and Oxford.

Brown got in touch with TORn to let us know how excited he and McKellen are to be reunited on stage. We’re excited too; and for our fellow panto fans, tickets can be purchased here.

In a spy report for the ages, we’re excited to reveal Amazon is already planning an animated spin off from their Rings of Power series.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS (1978)

Anticipating the success of the show, premiering September 2nd on Prime Video, the creative team at Amazon are working on a children’s cartoon series. Here’s what our inside source told us:

The inspiration for the show came from the opening of The Hobbit, when Bilbo first encounters Gandalf. He remarks that the wizard ‘was responsible for so many quiet lads and lasses going off into the Blue for mad adventures. Anything from climbing trees to visiting Elves ­ or sailing in ships, sailing to other shores!’ We thought it would be great to hear the stories of the other Hobbits, who had been on adventures with Gandalf in the past.

With this new series, we’re hoping to make ‘Saturday Morning Cartoons’ exciting, educational and fun again, with wholesome entertainment that is both silly, yet meaningful for the whole family. We’re delighted that Sir Lenny Henry, an actor with a well-known pedigree in comedy and family entertainment, has agreed to voice one of the main characters of the show. With such a distinguished performer already on board, we’re hoping to persuade Sir Ian McKellen to voice Gandalf for us. You really can’t have Gandalf without Sir Ian.

There hasn’t been a final title decision yet. ‘Adventure Hobbits’ was our first thought, but because The Rings of Power is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, we’re featuring Harfoots in that series. So then we wanted to go with ‘Adventure Harfoots’; but of course the Istari didn’t arrive in Middle-earth until early in the Third Age – so can we blur the lines and have Gandalf and Harfoots together? Then of course there is the additional dilemma about whether it should be ‘Adventure Harfoots’ or ‘Adventure Harfeet’… It’s still a work in progress.

Here at TORn we’re speculating that Amazon may also have wanted to create something to go up against Warner Bros.’ animated Middle-earth tale, The War of the Rohirrim, which is slated for release in April 2024. Now Amazon will have their own animated adventure from Arda. There hasn’t been a cartoon Hobbit since the days of the Rankin/Bass movies; we can’t wait to see the first images from this upcoming show.

Bilbo as he appeared in the Rankin/Bass ‘The Hobbit’ animated film (1977)

Staff from TheOneRing.net will be at Wondercon this weekend in Anaheim and this project is one of many we will be discussing in our Middle-earth! Coming to your TV this Fall presentation. Look for us tonight in room North 200A at 4:30 pm, tickets are still available online and at the door. 

Our friends at Games Workshop sent us this incredible set from their Battle for Middle-earth strategy game, which is called The Battle of Pelennor Fields. In this set, you get to build and paint your characters to replicate what you saw on film. Then fans can use the rules book and strategy guide to play out a very D&D type game, involving our favorite characters. As you will see in this review and picture, you get a ton of stuff with the set, which comes in at $158. You also will need to buy the paint set, and that will cost you $45, but based on what you can do with these sets, even putting all the costs together, it’s still a pretty fair price for everything.

Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Games Workshop: The Battle of Pelennor Fields”

A review is never late, fellow Ringers; it arrives precisely when it means to! Our friends at Asmus Toys sent us this awesome Gandalf the Grey Crown Series figure to review. The first thing we want to do is thank them! Gandalf is easily one of the coolest 1:6 figures I’ve owned. The headsculpt alone is worth the price ($350, if you want to know…), and when you add all the other detailing aspects you get one heck of a great figure. He’s out now, so you should be able to order him and have him quite quickly to your door, ready to invite you on an adventure.

Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Asmus Toys Gandalf the Grey Crown Series Unboxing and Review”