Peter Jackson might be doing the filming, but the last instalment of Lord of the Rings is not only written by a Tolkien – it is starring one too. The great-grandson of JRR Tolkien, Royd Tolkien, plays a gondorian ranger in the final part of the epic, The Return of the King. [More]
Posted in Old Main NewsRoyd Tolkien, the great grandson of JRR Tolkien, has written us to give us a heads up on his website RoydTolkien.com. To celebrate the opening in December, you can win a Deluxe Edition of LOTR signed by some of the Tolkien family. Check out the mailing list portion of his site to learn more. [More]
Posted in Old Main News
We’ve just heard the sad news of the passing of Royd’s brother Mike who has been battling ALS (Motor Neurone Disease).
Royd posted this moving tribute to his brother on his facebook page.
On Wednesday morning, my loving, handsome, devoted brother, Mike, peacefully passed away.
From the moment he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease/ALS he faced it head on, clenched his fists and battled. He took my breath away every single day with his strength and courage.
For 4 years I’ve been strong while silently weeping, now I’ve lost the comfortable feeling that he’ll be around forever and I’m heartbroken.
Every part of me, everything around me, anything I ever did and will ever do is connected to him and I desperately miss him. I’ve lost my friend and my reason and I will never be whole again.
I was privileged to have the honour of being his brother.
From everyone here at theonering.net, our love, prayers and best wishes are with you.
Posted in Headlines, TheOneRing.net Announcements, TheOneRing.net Community, Tolkien, Tolkien Family
Welcome to this months “Getting to know you” Q&A, this month we’re talking to the wonderful Royd Tolkien.
I received a lot of questions for Royd, which I have divided into three sections, reflecting peoples main areas of interest. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did conducting it. Cheers Kel x
Posted in Fans, Headlines, Hobbit Book, Hobbit Movie, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, LotR Movies, The Hobbit, TheOneRing.net Community, Tolkien, Tolkien Family
Royd Tolkien and his brother Mike visit Hobbiton.
As we first reported here in December, after J.R.R. Tolkien’s great grandson Mike lost his battle to Motor Neuron Disease (MDS) almost one year ago, his older brother Royd took up the challenge to complete the bucket list of 50 items his younger brother left to him. A related article by the U.K. Independent paints a rich backstory of two brothers who seemed worlds apart, yet who came together in mutual support at the most difficult of times.
Posted in J.R.R. Tolkien, Tolkien
TheOneRing.net is a major part of FantasyCon coming up on July 3 – 5 in Salt Lake City and there is a pretty incredible lineup of of Middle-earth content at the show. We are counting the top 10 reasons to attend one of the largest Tolkien gatherings in the history of conventions. (more…)
Bruce Hopkins has been very busy on his radio show lately, first up Bruce talks with Royd Tolkien, great grandson of JRR Tolkien, autjor of The Hobbit, Lord Of The RIngs, Silmirilian and a vast treasure of other books about films, alcohol and life! Listen Here.
Bruce also talks with Cliff, Quickbeam, Broadway who is a film maker living in the belly of Hollywood. Cliff is one of the drivers of the TORN website and producer of the doco ‘Ringers’. Listen Here.
Lastly, Bruce Hopkins chats with Michael Regina, head of the worlds largest Tolkien fan website, TheOneRing.Net, TORN, about how the current impasse between the producers and acting unions is affecting the fan base of the hugely anticipated Hobbit films. Listen Here.
Posted in Director Rumors, Hobbit Movie, Studios, The Hobbit, TheOneRing.net Community, Tolkien, Tolkien Family
John Rhys-Davies, Royd Tolkien & Sala Baker have joined the list of guests for CauldronCon. This Sci-Fi/Fantasy Con takes place on August 12th to the 14, 2005 at the Sheraton Ferncroft Resort Hotel in Danvers, MA. [More]
Los ANGELES – If there is one happy hobbit in the real world shire, it is Royd Tolkien, great grandson of J.R.R. Tolkien, whose books are the basis for the smash hit “Lord of the Rings” movies. Tolkien, who lives in north Wales, freely admits that when he first heard a Hollywood movie studio wanted to adapt great granddad’s fantasy books onto film he was worried. [More]
Posted in Old Main NewsHow time flies! Exactly a year ago today, February 21st 2015, many of us gathered in Hollywood for The One Last Party. Fans and TheOneRing.net staffers were joined by movie cast and crew members, brought together by a love of Tolkien and of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth trilogies. Many more fans around the world tuned in to watch TORn’s live stream coverage, led by staffers Quickbeam and Justin. Bruce Hopkins (Gamling) acted as MC for the night, PJ himself sent a special video greeting, and the Professor’s great-grandson Royd Tolkien came all the way from Britain for the celebration. Partygoers danced the night away to the music of Emerald Rose and William Kircher’s group The California Dreamers. It was indeed a night to remember!
Staffer Mithril posted recently about the beautiful Red Book she made, containing the names of all who contributed to the crowdfunding campaign to make The One Last Party happen; this lovely book was sent to Sir Peter as a ‘thank you’ from all of us to whom his movies have meant so much. In another look back to that wonderful night a year ago, here are just a few moments captured from that night, and put together by film maker and TORn friend Dan McBride. Let’s reminisce – and hope that it isn’t really the last such event. We may yet have an excuse, one day, for an unexpected party…
Posted in Bruce Hopkins, Events, Fans, Happy Hobbit, Hobbit Movie, John Bell, Lord of the Rings, LotR Movies, Mark Ordesky, Meet Ups, Oscar Parties, Peter Jackson, Sala Baker, The Hobbit, The One Last Party, The One Last Party, TheOneRing.net Community, Tolkien, Tolkien Family, William Kircher
Thank You ‘Red Book’ sent to Peter Jackson
It’s been almost a year since The One Last Party, but we haven’t forgotten it, and we didn’t want Peter Jackson to think we’d forgotten about him either. As you may remember, one of the promises we made on the Indiegogo campaign was that we would send Peter a “thank you” card. To be exact, we said, “Your name will go on an EPIC ‘thank you’ card we will present or send to Peter Jackson, from fans everywhere, to express our appreciation for the immense effort he and his cast and crew have put into the epic journey of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films.”
After the campaign ended, the TORn staff began brainstorming how to get all the names on one card – there were a lot of them! We decided to create a keepsake ‘Red Book’ for Peter. TORn staffer and designer, Mithril (Nancy Steinman), found a gorgeous leather journal and then designed and illustrated the interior pages and bound them into the book. Out of the 194 pages of the journal, 180 of them were the list of names!
Peter now has his journal, but we thought all of you deserved something to remember that fantastic night, too (besides your gift bags), so Mithril reached out with some questions to one of the party planners who was absolutely instrumental in making the party happen. Following is the interview with TORn Senior Staffer greendragon, and scroll down to see some photos of the journal and the party.
Posted in Oscar Parties, The One Last Party, Uncategorized
As you know, last week a select group of fans in London were treated to a screening of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Extended Edition. Some pretty special guests were in attendance – we hope many of you were able to watch via the live stream!
The organisers behind the event have sent us along this report:
“On Saturday, 7th November 2015, a number of the world’s biggest and most passionate fans of The Hobbit film trilogy assembled in London for a very special screening event, where they were joined by a host of special guests, to celebrate the release of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Extended Edition on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital release, and to commemorate the one-year anniversary of last year’s incredible The Hobbit Fan Fellowship Contest competition. The Warner Bros. Home Entertainment release is the final film in the globally popular The Hobbit Trilogy, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures.
Kyle Pedley of (A)musings Media, who was among the UK-based winners of the global fan competition, organised and hosted the event along with fellow members of The Hobbit Fan Fellowship, with help from Warner Bros. Pictures UK and Tourism New Zealand. International winners flew in from all over the globe – from as far afield as the United States, Mexico and Eastern Europe – to take part in an evening full of surprises and special appearances.
Guests were not only treated to an exclusive UK screening of the Extended Edition of The Hobbit Trilogy’s epic conclusion at Warner Bros. Pictures’ own private screening theatre ahead of its home entertainment release, but were also treated to surprises including a video message from director Sir Peter Jackson all the way from New Zealand, and a Q&A session with a panel of distinguished guests.
These included Royd Tolkien, great-grandson of author J.R.R. Tolkien and long-time advocate and supporter of the film adaptations (who made a cameo appearance in 2003’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), and writer / broadcaster Brian Sibley, who has long been involved in the community celebrating the author’s legacy, having been jointly responsible for the acclaimed 1981 BBC Radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings and penning a number of official behind-the-scenes books and guides for both of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth trilogies. Finally, to the excitement and disbelief of fans – met with an uproarious standing ovation – came the surprise appearance of film, theatre and television icon Sir Ian McKellen, known and beloved around the world for his defining portrayal of the Wizard Gandalf in Jackson’s Middle-earth and the only principle cast member to appear in all six films across both celebrated film trilogies.
Other special guests in attendance included a contingent of Middle-earth ‘cosplayers’ – The Galactic Knights, who showcased some of their terrific Hobbit- and Rings-inspired costumes and replicas; Chairman of The Tolkien Society, Shaun Gunner; and Rachel Sprackett of Tourism New Zealand.
Kyle Pedley, The Hobbit Fan Fellowship member and host of the event, said:
“This was an incredible, unprecedented celebration of the impact both these films and also last year’s incredible competition have had on people from all corners of the globe. To have such a dedicated group of fans, who last year formed their own genuine fellowship over the course of a magical week in New Zealand, reunite for this special occasion was just an absolute joy to behold and be part of. To be joined by the likes of Royd Tolkien, Brian Sibley and Sir Ian McKellen, and have such a fantastic personal video message from Sir Peter Jackson over in New Zealand, was an absolute thrill and honour. The guests were not aware or expecting any of it, and their reactions to not only the surprises, but also getting to see one another again, were a moving reminder of how indelible and genuine the bonds of fellowship formed in New Zealand really were.”
The Hobbit Fan Fellowship Contest was an international search conducted in 2014 by Tourism New Zealand, Air New Zealand and Warner Bros. to find 75 of the world’s biggest Hobbit fans. Over 140,000 people registered for the competition, and over a two month period were required to complete a series of tasks and challenges, including testing their knowledge of New Zealand as the cinematic Middle-earth, designing a postcard for Peter Jackson, and also producing their own two-minute videos detailing their favourite memories of Middle-earth and demonstrating why they were the biggest fans of the franchise.
The winners and their +1s were then flown to New Zealand for an incredible, all-expenses paid trip which spanned both Islands and included visits to the actual filming locations from the movies, a special tour of the Hobbiton Set itself in Matamata, a special Maori Cultural welcome ceremony and Hangi Banquet, a visit to Weta Workshop where all of the creatures, costumes, weapons and special effects of the Middle Earth films were made, and finally a private screening of the final film, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, in the company of Peter Jackson himself, over a month before its theatrical release.”
Oh how we all wish we’d been there! We can at least enjoy some photographs from the evening’s festivities; and here’s a highlights video reel:
Posted in Contests, Events, Fan Fellowship Contest, Fans, Film Screenings, Hobbit Cast News, Hobbit Fan Contest, Hobbit Movie, Ian McKellen, Meet Ups, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Tolkien, Tolkien Family