LORD OF THE RINGS
The movies are shot back to back. As mentioned above, part 1 - The Fellowship of the Ring - will be in theatres nationwide at a release date around X-Mas 2001, parts 2 and 3 are scheduled for release in December 2002 and 2003, respectively.
Filming has been underway since October 11, 1999 in New Zealand.
Set in a mythic realm in a time long past, this is the story of Frodo, a young hobbit, and his companions who set out on a journey through Middle-Earth to destroy the One Ring that Frodo has inherited from his cousin Bilbo.
The fellowship of the Ring (Frodo, Gandalf the Wizard, hobbits Merry, Pippin and Sam, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, Baromir of Gondor and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider) will have to penetrate deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord, Sauron, as only the volcanic fires of the Cracks of Doom are powerful enough to destroy the Ring for good.
However, Sauron, who grows increasingly stronger,wants the powers of the Ring for himself, because it would complete his dominion and would allow him to enslave the people of Middle-Earth forever.
Beloved throughout the world for his Middle-Earth creations, The Hobbit (the 'prequel' to LotR), The Lord of the Rings (trilogy) and The Silmarillion, Tolkien was a professor of medieval English Literature at Oxford, England.
The Hobbit was originally a bedtime story for Tolkien's son, the LotR trilogy followed in the form of three novels: The Fellowship of the Ring (1954), The Two Towers (1954) and The Return of the King (1956).
To date, more than 50 million copies of Tolkien's books have been sold worldwide.
Animator Ralph Bakshi made an animated film covering the first two installments of LotR in 1978. Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass made an animated version of The Hobbit in 1978 and an animated film of the third LotR segment in 1980.
This is the first time the complete trilogy has been attempted in actual real-life movie form.
- A man was arrested for allegedly stealing film clips from Three Foot Six studios and attempting to post them on the internet. After a probe lasting over a month, he was charged with video pirating and money laundering.
- Martin Czokas, playing Celeborn in the movie, described relations between him and his wife, Galadriel as follows:
"Celeborn is more fixed in his beliefs and methods than Galadriel, which is his failing, perhaps. As a team, they work well, although apparently they only have sex every 2000 years or so."
Frodo Braggins, hobbit and center figure in the quest to destroy the ring ... Elijah Wood
Arwen, Elf Princess, in love with Aragorn, a mortal ... Liv Tyler
Gandalf the Wizard, helps Frodo and leads Gondor into war ... Sir Ian McKellen
Samwise Gangee, hobbit and Frodo's closest friend ... Sean Astin
Bilbo Baggins, hobbit, Frodo's cousin and original finder/thief of the ring ... Sir Ian Holm
Peregrin Took, youngest hobbit in the fellowship, a cousin of Frodo ... Billy Boyd
Aragorn, aka Strider, Gondor's true king ... Viggo Mortensen
Galadriel, the Elf Queen ... Cate Blanchett
