Latest news with #MiddleEarth
Geek Tyrant
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Peter Jackson Says He's 'Not Retired' and Confirms He's Writing Three New Screenplays — GeekTyrant
It's been a decade since Peter Jackson wrapped up The Hobbit trilogy, and while things have been relatively quiet on the filmmaking front for him, the Oscar-winning director wants fans to know he hasn't slowed down. In fact, he's busier than you might think. 'I'm certainly not retired,' Jackson told Screen Rant in a recent interview. 'We are currently working on three different screenplays. I'm at the moment writing three different scripts.' It's good to know that the filmmaker who delivered The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies has retired, and while Jackson didn't reveal what these projects are, there are a few clues about what he's been up to. We already know Jackson is producing The Hunt for Gollum , the upcoming Lord of the Rings movie that Andy Serkis is set to direct next year. 'We are producing and have been writing The Hunt for Gollum , which Andy Serkis is going to direct next year. I've enjoyed working on documentaries, whether they show I've grown old or not, and obviously the [The Beatles: Get Back] project. I've enjoyed doing various things with The Beatles, which is great, and that'll probably carry on.' Jackson's acclaimed docuseries The Beatles: Get Back gave fans an intimate look at the creation of the album Let It Be, and it sounds like his documentary work might continue alongside his narrative projects. Jackson is also fascinated by real-world science, specifically de-extinction. He's working with Colossal Biosciences, a company attempting to bring back extinct species. Jackson couldn't hide his excitement about one particular creature: 'To me, de-extincting the Moa would be just as exciting, if not more exciting, than any film I could possibly make,' Jackson said. 'I've made a lot of movies, but to see the Giant Moa brought back would be a level of excitement that I think would supersede anything at this point in time.' While Jackson is keeping himself busy, I would love to see him get back in the director's chair and direct a proper movie again. I've always loved his storytelling and filmmaking style! It would especially be cool to see him jump back into horror! As for The Hunt for Gollum , it's set to hit theaters on December 17, 2027 and will explore parts of Gollum's life that were never shown on screen. 'We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn't have time to cover in the earlier films. It's too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take our lead from Professor Tolkien.' But, while Jackson may not be cranking out blockbusters like before, he's far from done shaping stories, both on screen and in the real world.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Peter Jackson Is Working on Three Screenplays: ‘I'm Certainly Not Retired'
It's been 11 years since Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson completed his 'Hobbit' trilogy. He has not directed a narrative feature since, though he certainly has not been stagnant. He did, however, direct the Beatles' docuseries 'Get Back' and the 3D WWI doc 'They Shall Not Grow Old,' which colorized and restored wartime footage. He also wrote and produced 'Mortal Engines' in 2018, and he was listed as an executive producer on the anime 'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim' in 2024. But since he completed his last ode to J. R. R. Tolkien, he has not led a film set. Jackson, though, insists that he is not out of the game. More from IndieWire Superman's Underwear Returns: A Brief History of the Man of Steel's Red Trunks Alamo Founder Tim League Launches Private Movie Theater Experience in New York 'No, no. I'm certainly not retired,' Jackson told ScreenRant in an interview. 'We are currently working on three different screenplays. I'm at the moment writing three different scripts.' The 'District 9' director teased that more will be coming from both his 'Lord of the Rings' universe and Beatles retrospectives. 'We are producing and have been writing 'The Hunt for Gollum,' which Andy Serkis is going to direct next year,' he said. 'I've enjoyed working on documentaries, whether they show I've grown old or not, and obviously the 'Get Back: The Beatles' project. I've enjoyed doing various things with The Beatles, which is great, and that'll probably carry on.' What he might actually direct, he did not say. But what Jackson is most excited about, he revealed, involves pulling a real-life 'Jurassic Park' with a large prehistoric bird. 'But to me, de-extincting the Moa would be just as exciting, if not more exciting, than any film I could possibly make. I've made a lot of movies, but to see the Giant Moa brought back would be a level of excitement that I think would supersede anything at this point in time,' he explained. Jackson is speaking of the biotech company Colossal Biosciences, of which he is a major investor. The company, according to its website, is 'the world's first and only de-extinction company,' and goes on to write that 'Colossal is closer to restoring the past, preserving the present and safeguarding the future than anyone before. To truly illustrate our success, we must not only redefine de-extinction, but establish standards for the science behind it, as well.' Last year, Colossal was able to use fossil DNA to bring two dire wolves back from extinction after 10,000 years. No, really: here's the Time cover story. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
Geek Tyrant
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE Players Escort Hobbit Army Into Mount Doom… Then Get Lost — GeekTyrant
After three years of hilariously noble attempts, The Lord of the Rings Online 's most wholesome and ridiculous community tradition has finally reached the gates of success… only to immediately trip over them and get lost inside Mount Doom. Every year, streamer BurkeBlack organizes what's become known as the Great Hobbit Run, an MMO pilgrimage where players create brand-new, low-level Hobbit characters and try to march them gearless, clueless, from Bag End all the way to the fiery heart of Mordor. Think of it as Frodo and Sam's journey, but with 200 chaotic cousins tagging along and none of them ready for literally any part of it. 'Generally speaking, I encourage everyone to be level five Hobbits, or level one Hobbits, whatever they can get,' BurkeBlack told PC Gamer. 'If [people on] the server, though, they're high level and they see an army of Hobbits running, and they're like, 'Wow, I'm gonna follow this, I wanna see what's going on with this,' we can't stop that.' The result is a surreal, annual spectacle where higher-level players sometimes jump in to protect the halfling horde like makeshift Rangers, escorting this barefoot chaos parade across high-level enemy territory. But despite the valiant efforts, previous years didn't end well. In 2023, the Hobbits were annihilated in Moria. In 2024, Rohan's angry forest vegetation gave them the Treebeard treatment. This wasn't a walk to Mordor, it was a slow-motion mass Hobbit sacrifice. But this year? This year they made it. Well… almost. Roughly 40 to 50 Hobbits survived the six-hour march to Mount Doom. Once inside, they did what any disoriented army of tiny roleplayers would do: they got lost. The lava was right there, Sammath Naur within reach, but they couldn't quite find the actual Crack of Doom. So instead? They just jumped into the fire. Call it a technical victory. Call it a Hobbit solution. If you've got six hours and a need for joy, BurkeBlack's full recording of the Great Hobbit Run 2025 is available to watch here.
Gizmodo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
‘Lord of the Rings Online' Players Successfully Get Small Hobbit Army Lost Inside Mount Doom
MMORPG players love making challenges for themselves beyond the actual challenges offered by their games. Setting artificial level caps, soloing content designed for groups, empowering yourself through ways outside of the typical grind—you name it, someone has probably tried it in an MMO. But a group of Lord of the Rings Online players have managed an impossibility that triumphantly shows the source material's thematic heart of hope in the face of despair so perfectly Tolkien could've come up with it himself. For the past several years, streamer BurkeBlack has organized an in-game event called the Great Hobbit Run. The event sees players create low-level Hobbit characters, and, instead of traversing Middle-earth to gain the experience, gear, and levels necessary to traditionally triumph, have them run those characters from Bag End in the Shire all the way to the interior of Mount Doom itself, to replicate Sam and Frodo's journey in, uh, as 'realistic' a way as possible. More experienced characters or curious onlookers spotting a veritable militia of low-level Hobbits racing across LOTRO's map are encouraged to join, if not as actual participants, as noble guardians of the Fellowship to protect these vulnerable halflings as they try to enter a high-level zone in one piece. 'Generally speaking, I encourage everyone to be level five Hobbits, or level one Hobbits, whatever they can get,' BurkeBlack told PC Gamer of the initiative. 'If [people on] the server, though, they're high level and they see an army of Hobbits running, and they're like, 'Wow, I'm gonna follow this, I wanna see what's going on with this,' we can't stop that.' Alas, the Fellowship has been broken in the past few years that BurkeBlack and his community have attempted the Great Hobbit Run. In 2023, the Hobbits fell to shadow and flame in Moria, while last year, the hour of wolves and shattered shields came upon the shirefolk in Rohan, as the trees themselves came to life and laid them low. Think that bit from the end of the extended edition of Two Towers, but with a bunch of hobbits running into a conspicuously present forest instead. Perhaps then, this was a challenge too mighty for even the bravest and smallest among Middle-earth's denizens. But again, The Lord of the Rings is about unyielding hope against insurmountable odds, and so the Great Hobbit Run returned this week to brave the road to Mordor once more—and finally found success. After 3 years of attempts, the Hobbits finally made it to Mt Doom and threw ourselves into the lava! Thank you tobthe helpers and everyone that joined this year long, but saddly I forget the ring back at the shire so we'll try again next year! — BurkeBlack (@0BurkeBlack0) July 8, 2025Well, mostly. Of almost 200 Hobbits that left Bag End, between 40 and 50 managed to survive the over six-hour trek to Mount Doom itself… only to get lost in its interiors as they attempted to locate the actual crack of Doom, Sammath Naur. Deciding that they were close enough, the Hobbits celebrated technical victory by casting themselves into the fires—with an emboldened promise that when they return next year, bolstered by this success, maybe this time they'll actually find the right way in. If you find yourself with six hours to spare and need reminding that there's still some good in this world, BurkeBlack's recording of the Great Hobbit Run 2025 can be found here. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
New York Times
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Want to Escape Reality? Try One of These Books.
World building is my favorite part of science fiction and fantasy. Whether I'm exploring cities and landscapes that are built on the limitless stage of the author's imagination, or collecting little details that light up a character's interior life, I love that sense of being immersed in a strange place. When most people hear the term world building, they probably think of series like 'The Lord of the Rings,' where Middle-earth is a wholly original realm not meant to exist anywhere on our earth or in our history. But there are many different ways to create a world. The list below includes books set in wholly original worlds, settings grounded in actual historical detail and stories that take place in the far future of interstellar travel. All will transport you somewhere exciting and new. Long Live Evil In Brennan's portal fantasy/isekai novel, Rae, a 19-year-old cancer patient, makes a deal with a mysterious stranger and is transported from her hospital room in the real world to the realm of her favorite fantasy book series — a dark city of fire, chasms and the prowling undead, where she finds herself playing the villain. Rae tells herself this is all just a story, and that her actions can't actually hurt the people who populate this imagined world. But her cancer treatments have made her memory of the books' plot unreliable, and soon she and the characters she loves find themselves in real danger. (Note: This is the first book in a new romantasy series, and the ending is quite a cliffhanger. You have been warned.) This was one of our favorite science fiction and fantasy books of 2024. Don't Sleep With the Dead This stand-alone novella is set in the same world as Vo's fantastic 'The Great Gatsby' retelling, 'The Chosen and the Beautiful.' In her version of the roaring 1920s (and the fraught late '30s, where the new book picks up), dark magic is woven through the historical reality of New York City, the dangerous fae realm is only one wrong step away, and terrible bargains are made for knowledge and power. While Vo's first book focused on Jordan Baker, here the spotlight turns to Nick Carraway, who has spent over a decade trying to build a life without Gatsby. But in a world with demons and ghosts, the dead are never truly gone. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
