A collection of prior-released stories of Middle-earth’s 2nd Age, The Fall of Númenor brings together Tolkien’s published legendaria during the time of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Prime Video series.
For the Tolkien curator who enjoys new packaging of old adventures, and the new Tolkien enthusiast who’s curious about this span of Middle-earth history, this tome is sure to warm your hands and fire up your imagination as the northern hemisphere turns from autumn to winter.
Chris Reed over at IGN put together this tight little summary of what’s in store. For previous TORn reporting on this story, click here and here.
“I sit beside the fire and think of all that I have seen, of meadow-flowers and butterflies in summers that have been…” Happy reading! – Tookish
Co-creator of animation that continues to delight generations of viewers passes away at 87.
How many individuals came to Tolkien through the gateway of The Hobbit animated feature, first aired on American television in November, 1977? This Took, for one. Who knows if The Lord of the Rings, collecting dust on my big sister Nancy’s bookshelf, would have ever made it into my hands two years later if I hadn’t been primed with this classic cartoon?
Recognition of Bass upon his passing proliferates the internet today. You might enjoy this wonderful homage to Rankin and Bass’ The Hobbit cartoon – and its impact on the fantasy film genre – by Ryan Britt.
We at TheOneRing.net thank you for your vision, dedication, and artistry, Jules Bass. May you rest in peace.
BATS Theatre in Wellington, NZ is well-known to our Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movie family. Many of the New Zealand actors from the films have performed there, and back in 2011, to save the theatre from eviction, Peter Jackson bought the building in which they are housed. It’s a local theatre which particularly supports new and emerging talent.
Now BATS Theatre are having a fundraiser, supported by Richard Taylor and Weta Workshop. Part of the fundraising effort includes a chance to win epic prizes, including having prosthetic make-up done by Taylor himself! You can read all about it here; there are only a couple more days to enter, so don’t delay, if you’d like to support a worthy cause and maybe win something incredible.
In the summer of 2012, sisters Kellie and Alex Rice visited San Diego Comic Con for the first time. As they marveled at the large buildings and the splendor of the city, new friends asked again and again where they came from to find such wonder and novelty in an urban landscape. The answer was the mountains of northern California. It was at that moment that the elder of the two sisters, Kellie (or “Kili”) realized that by comparison to many, they lived a rural lifestyle akin to hobbits, Elves, and rangers. A few short months later, they began brainstorming a webseries designed to bring Middle-earth to their viewers’ daily lives through sharing aspects of their country life including crafts, recipes, and animal husbandry. After filtering out several potential names (including “The Green Door” and “Not TORn Tuesday”), the two came up with one that fit perfectly: Happy Hobbit.
They debuted their first proper episode about chickens on October 17th, 2012, sharing how to raise hens and collect eggs like a hobbit.
Happy Hobbit: Chickens – Episode 1
At the time, they never could have imagined the marvelous adventure that starting a hobbity little show would take them on. From their small mountain town to the world premieres of The Hobbit films and now special events for Amazon’s The Rings of Power, it has been a wild ride!
In 2013, the two filmed a reaction video to the trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug that went viral when Peter Jackson saw it and shared it on his Facebook page. He later filmed the Elven cast (Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lily, and Lee Pace) reacting to the girls’ reaction… which the girls then reacted to again, creating a viral trilogy that was dubbed “Hobbitception” after the film Inception: a reaction within a reaction within a reaction!
You can watch the hilarious magic unfold in the playlist below:
The “Hobbitcception” playlist
Peter Jackson’s nudge not only increased Happy Hobbit’s viewership, but led to more visibility. While the sisters enjoyed connecting with all of their fellow fans, it was extra special meeting the many hundreds of young women and girls who were not only Tolkien fans, but so excited to see young women like them having their geekniess not only validated, but celebrated.
Kellie and Alex Rice on the red carpet for the premiere of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Though there was a dearth of Middle-earth content between the Hobbit films and the recent Rings of Power TV show, the sisters continued to make their webseries and don’t have any plans to stop! A chronic joint issue called Ehlers-Danlos has made it more difficult for Alex (or Fili) to participate as much as she used to, so these days her sister Kellie (or Kili) sometimes produces solo episodes. Kellie is also a published Fantasy author under her pen name, K.M. Rice (she chose initials in part because of Tolkien’s pen name) and is the co-author of Middle-earth from Script to Screen: Building The World of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
On October 17th, they celebrated their 10 year anniversary of Happy Hobbit by airing their 100th episode! Viewers sent in clips, photos and letters sharing what the show has meant to them and their love of their fans to help make the episode an occasion to remember. Below, you can join Fili and Kili and friends as they share some of the many things that make them happy hobbits!
Happy Hobbit: Being A Happy Hobbit – Episode 100
Many viewers describe the Happy Hobbit series and community as being wholesome and comforting, like snuggling up with a cozy blanket. It is a positive corner of the Shire that many turn to in times of darkness or hardship. With over 100 episodes (including lots of holiday specials and side adventures), there truly is something for everyone in Kili and Fili’s interpretation of Tolkien’s world. Above all, hearing from so many fans and viewers affirmed to the sisters that they had achieved their goal of leaving their audience happy hobbits!
As Production begins on Season 2 at Bray Studios in the U.K., the showrunners of Lord of the Rings tee up what’s coming for fans in the press, while Fellowship Of Fans leaks more photos from the set of Rings of Power.
Looks like newly-minted Mordor is being recreated near Hankley Common in the UK, where The Sandman was filmed, with these new leaked set pics for S2.
Moving on to official info about next season, THR describes a windowless room with artwork covering all the walls, describing a plan to introduce more iconic locations, familiar Middle-earth characters and a massive two-episode battle for Season 2 of Rings of Power. THR writes that McKay says the aim of season two is to be “bigger and better” on “every level … by an order of magnitude.” It will take a couple of years to complete S2, which means an estimated release of Fall 2024.
These first few days are kind of a luxury for us because we’re just beginning and the guys are still writing, you know, polishing the script for Season 2.
Lindsey Weber, Producer
Speaking to THR later, co-showrunner Patrick McKay places the Rings of Power’s tale of Sauron in context of the peak TV landscape:
“Like Tony Soprano or Walter White. He’s evil, but complexly evil. We felt like if we did that in season one, he’d overshadow everything else. So the first season is like Batman Begins, and the The Dark Knight is the next movie, with Sauron maneuvering out in the open. We’re really excited. Season two has a canonical story. There may well be viewers who are like, ‘This is the story we were hoping to get in season one!’ In season two, we’re giving it to them.”
DEADLINE asks McKay if season 2 will retell Sauron’s history and how he got to where he’s at. “I would say that those are all good questions and questions need answering. So hopefully those are new layers of the onion we can peel back.”
Talking about what will happen with the Wizard, Patrick McKay explains to Deadline, “the idea of a Tolkienian journey and adventure with a wizard and a halfling, it seemed to us like a really exciting and enticing new leg of the journey as it is, as it were. The Stranger’s journey and Nori’s journey with him is one of discovery. And for him it’s one of self-discovery. He has learned that he is ostensibly an Istari, you know, which means wizard. And he’s learning something else from the Mystics when they say he is not Sauron, he is the Other, which sort of implies that potentially his destiny is entwined in some way with Sauron’s. But that’s all he knows at this point. And he’s going to have to go on another journey to learn more and maybe a name or his name becomes a part of that journey.”
“Sauron is now a new piece on the board.”
Patrick Mckay
McKay confirms to Deadline that season 2 will feature additional canon characters, including Cirdan the Shipwright who is supposed to carry one of the three elven rings of power.
“We felt it was very important that season one be about reintroducing Middle-earth in this new era,” says McKay. “Introducing all of these kingdoms, and all of these peoples and all of these characters and knowing what was important to them, and what they had at stake and hopefully doing so in a way that’s, you know, intense and exciting and delightful.”
Cover of THR featuring JD Payne and Patrick McKay
In a wide-ranging profile in Variety, Amazon Prime Studios boss Jennifer Salke is providing all the support Tolkien’s world requires. “We were always going to spend what we needed to spend to get it right. I’m fortunate to be working at this company where we want to be financially disciplined, but nobody wanted to compromise on what this would be visually.”
We want to keep the bar just as high. So it’ll take what it takes. But there’s been some urgency around moving quickly.
Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios
Producer Lindsey Weber says, “Season 2 is fundamentally different in that our main villain is out and about and doing his thing. I think in some ways, it’s going to grittier, more intense, maybe a little scarier. There are things that we saved that were going to be in the final bit of [S1] that we thought, oh, just it’s too big right now to do, to fit that in with everything else and let’s save it, and we’re actually doing some of those things now in Season 2”
Here’s some more leaked set photos for Season 2, taken at Bray Studios near Windsor, UK. Send your Spy Reports anonymously to spymaster@theonering.net
Actress Morfydd Clark. Photo by Joseph Sinclair courtesy of Schön! Magazine.
You’ve read some good interviews with the cast of Rings of Power, but if you haven’t caught this one from Schön! Magazine, you’re in for a treat. Stunning photography by Joseph Sinclair graces this read by digital editor and fashion author Kelsey Barnes. Style check, people!
