SAN FRANCISCO – Sept. 25, 2012 – Kabam, a leader in massively multiplayer games for connected devices, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have partnered to co-publish games for mobile devices and the Web inspired by Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit Trilogy, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM).

Under the deal, Kabam will develop and operate two multiplayer strategy games, The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth for mobile devices and The Hobbit: Armies of the Third Age for web browsers, both launching in fall 2012. Starting Sept. 25, players can sign up to take part in the upcoming beta for The Hobbit: Armies of the Third Age at https://www.kabam.com/the-hobbit-armies.

Continue reading “Kabam and Warner Brothers bring Hobbit games to mobile devices/web”

Yet another fun, and interesting, thing for Hobbit fans to collect – this just in from the New Zealand Post: New Zealand Post is set to produce stamps and commemorative coins featuring some of the unique characters of Middle-earth later in the year. In an agreement with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Warner Bros. Pictures, and the filmmakers, New Zealand Post also has exclusive rights to produce legal tender commemorative coins that celebrate Sir Peter Jackson’s trilogy of films based on The Hobbit, productions of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. New Zealand Post has revealed one of the stamps to give fans a sneak peek at what they can expect in November. We are the only country in the world with the rights to produce legal tender commemorative coins, featuring characters from The Hobbit Trilogy, and we are delighted to be involved and show support for the New Zealand Film Industry,” said Ivor Masters, Head of Stamps and Coins at New Zealand Post. Read More…

At the end of the second week in September a cart came in through Bywater from the direction of Brandywine Bridge in broad daylight.  An old man was driving it all alone.  He wore a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, and a silver scarf. He had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck out beyond the brim of his hat. Small hobbit-children ran after the cart all through Hobbiton and right up the hill.  It had a cargo of fireworks, as they rightly guessed. — From A Long-Expected Party, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

 

In Peter Jackson’s LOTR film, the first moment of Gandalf arriving in Hobbiton and finding Frodo waiting on the trail were critical because it established two essential characters and the setting of Hobbiton. It also introduced audiences to the scale of Hobbits with human-sized characters including forced perspective of Frodo riding in Gandalf’s cart.

The meeting serves as the entry point for Lord of the Rings LEGO as well with set 9469 introducing important characters in an easy-to-build kit that is also easy to afford at $12.99 retail in the U.S. It will likely find itself as birthday present to and from friends many times over. Because it is recommended for ages eight to 14, I enlisted Logan (8) and Dresden (10), to assist with the build of the kit. Continue reading “Product review: LOTR LEGO ‘Gandalf Arrives’ set”

We all listened to and read Peter Jackson’s words from Comic-Con about three possible “Hobbit,” movies carefully. But we didn’t listen to all the words and we missed a few things.

He told us. He told us — he did.

He said exactly what he meant, he said it plainly and the media and fans (and me) tried to figure out what he meant when he told us in plainness. Monday, Jackson dropped an atomic bomb of news and fandom reacted accordingly.

“The Hobbit,” adapted for the screen from the 300-page, 75-year-old book by J.R.R. Tolkien changed from from two movies to three in the blink of a Facebook post.

AMBITION
More on the words we ignored in a minute. We need to figure out when these films break, what it means for fans and websites and studios and cinema and the director, but lets not rush past the size and scope of this news. Lets not walk around Paris admiring all the cafes and churches without also pausing and noticing the big tower in the center of town.

We witnessed, the last few weeks since Comic-Con, something monumental, unprecedented, unparalleled and a little bit crazy. Jackson (and when we say “Jackson” we always mean the director and Walsh, Boyens and a team of others supporting their vision) is in unchartered territory here. Continue reading “The bold ‘Hobbit’ trilogy decision and what to expect”

Always a grand tradition at fan conventions, especially Comic-Con, these unique buttons are made with true-blue fans of Tolkien in mind!

Whether you’re in the mood for a spiky dragon-infused political conversation or you really want the world to know you SQUEE for “Hot Dwarves” — these are the buttons for you!  For our fellow Potter-phile friends in the U.K. we should say these are the *badges* for you!
Continue reading “TheOneRing.net EXCLUSIVE Comic-Con 2012 Buttons/Badges”

Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced tonight that Eaglemoss — makers of the collectible chess partworks and figurines — has the license to make these items for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again.” This license also grants Eaglemoss the rights to make these collectibles for “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. These collectibles are due to ship during the fourth quarter of this year and they will come with a magazine as well as valuable chess tips.

Here is the full release from Warner Bros. and Eaglemoss:

Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) is proud to announce that it has awarded leading partworks producer Eaglemoss the global licensing rights to develop collections based on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, productions of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Under the terms of the deal, the licensee also has the rights to develop products based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Continue reading “Collecting The Precious – Eaglemoss to make collectible chess pieces for ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’”