The folks at Weta dropped big news on Ringers today with the announcement of their next The Lord of the Rings environment. In their own words they’ve decided to climb the Mount Everest of environments…that’s right fans… we’re going to get a chance to own Barad-Dur, made by those that conceptualized and created it for the trilogy. Over the next few months Weta will be giving us updates on the creation of this massive undertaking, and of course we will pass those updates onto you as they become available. Stay Tuned! Until then check out the latest Weta Newsletter!
Have you ever pondered what a LEGO balrog might look like (and does it have wings?!) or longed to see a Lego Fellowship trot across the Bridge of Khazad Dum? If so, or even if not, today is your lucky day. The LOTR LEGO trailer has landed and not only is it full of cuteness that is a danger to fans’ wallets everywhere, it features 100% movie actor voices and only shows footage (LEGO style) from “Fellowship of the Ring.” We have no idea what all this means. Are these cut scenes? One game or three? Will we be able to mine for mithril? Is LEGO Boromir cuter than Legolas or Aragorn? In other film LEGO games, “Harry Potter,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Star Wars” for example, the characters never talk. We have no answers but we do have this trailer and it is cute.
This month, J.W. Braun reports from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando Florida to tell you how you can win a free Harry Potter board game. He also reviews The Sorcerer’s Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter and, in the mailbag section below the video, answers your questions.
J.W. Braun’s Mailbag
It seems strange that Sauron could show Denethor Frodo trapped at the Tower of Cirith Ungol but he could not get the Ring. When Frodo was captured at Cirith Ungol, why didn’t Sauron just send a Nazgul to the tower right away? It seems like he didn’t care about Frodo/Sam until too late. – Kathryn
With E3 just around the corner, we would expect to see a game trailer for the upcoming ‘Guardians of Middle-earth‘ game sooner rather than later…well, it is sooner! Courtesy of GameTrailers.com, the world premiere of the trailer showcases the ‘battle’ nature of the gameplay. The ‘good’ looks to be represented by Gandalf, Aragorn, Galadriel, Legolas and Gimli. We might add, the portraits on these characters are very close to those from the films. The bad are represented by Sauron, The Witch-king, Gollum, an Uruk-hai…and another character this reporter can’t seem to place. I’m sure we’ll find out when the character section of the official website opens up. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer and after the break check out some screen caps! (As an aside…remember that the way we interact with Tolkien’s world is as diverse as those of us who enjoy it. This might not be your cup of tea, but we can guarantee there are a lot of folks excited about this new title!) [GameTrailers.com] [Press Release] Continue reading “Official ‘Guardians of Middle-earth’ E3 Trailer with Screen Caps”
That’s right, it’s time to order your Dark Rider of Mordor Premium Format Figure! Sideshow Collectibles latest entry into their The Lord of the Rings premium format line stands a massive 31″ tall and weighs 23lbs! This servant of Sauron is sure to leave a lasting impression in your collection. The exclusive (only available from Sideshow directly) for for this item is a switch out left hand holding a Ringwraith sword to allow for multiple display options. As expected, since this piece is so large, it comes with a price tag of $799.99 – but it can be split up via Sideshow’s unique and awesome flex-pay program before it ships in December of this year. You can split it up over 5 payments which gives you plenty of time to budget. No edition size has been announced for the Ringwraith but the exclusives usually sell out quickly, so order today! [Pre-Order]
Fandalf visits the heart of Tolkiendom in America - Houghton Mifflin's HQ, Boston
You may remember this story from summer of last year: ‘Fandalf’ the travelling Gandalf statue (well, two of him actually…) was making his way around America and around Europe, stopping with fans in many different places and posing with famous landmarks. With San Diego ComicCon 2012 being the final stop on Fandalf’s journey, he has just over a month to go; so we thought readers might like an update on his travels!
The statue (made by Sideshow/Weta) which is travelling around America made his way over to the East coast. He was recently in Atlanta, followed by a few stops in New England (Rhode Island, Boston and Concord). Right now he’s winging his way (courtesy of a friendly eagle!) over to Ohio. The European Fandalf has been to various places in Germany, Belgium, France and Italy. The wonderful pictures hosting fans have taken can be seen at flickr.com – search for images tagged ‘Gandalf World Tour’. Many thanks to all who have hosted Fandalf – it’s great to think of fans all over the world mooting with the Grey Wizard!
As we draw closer to the release of the first Hobbit movie, San Diego ComicCon promises to be full of excitement and Middle-earth goodness! Fandalf’s return from his travels and merry meetings with fans will be a wonderful part of these ‘Hobbit Eve’ celebrations.
and, in the mailbag section below the video, answers your questions.
