Heed my warning: never ask a "Star Wars" animation fan if you should watch shows like "The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels" unless you're prepared to get your ear talked off. For all of the franchise's high points in live-action, something about animation just fits a galaxy far, far away smoother than Lando Calrissian playing a game of Sabacc. Animated "Star Wars" projects are able to go weirder and wilder, bringing bizarre non-humans to life in a convincing way that's hard to translate into the real world. It's why I'm relieved that "Rebels" co-creator and current Lucasfilm Chief Creative Officer Dave Filoni has so far allowed the Bendu to remain purely in the animated realm.
The Bendu, for those who are not familiar, looks a little like a cross between a buffalo, a rock monolith, and Gimli from "The Lord of the Rings." This enigmatic, giant entity -- who's...
The Bendu, for those who are not familiar, looks a little like a cross between a buffalo, a rock monolith, and Gimli from "The Lord of the Rings." This enigmatic, giant entity -- who's...
- 3/18/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Then again, nobody needs to have the foresight of Galadriel to have caught wind of the latest round of rumors and speculation running rampant among "The Lord of the Rings" fans in recent weeks. While the obsessive fandom waits for more movies to arrive down the line, we at least have Prime Video's "The Rings of Power" series to keep us occupied in the meantime. But no matter how far removed we are from a first season that attracted all sorts of discourse in late 2022, from theories about the mysterious Stranger's identity to the guessing game surrounding the reveal of the Dark Lord Sauron, that hasn't stopped many from attempting to read the pipeweed anyway and make their best guess about which major figures from author J.R.R. Tolkien's lore might appear next.
- 2/23/2024
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Marvel Studios has revealed the official confirmation of The Fanstatic 4 cast in a Valentine’s Day post with a poster of the four fantastic MCU heroes. In another post, the studio unveiled the classic 60’s logo. Previously, several rumors surrounding the movie dominated the discussion among fans, and since the studio announcement, it is not fading away anytime soon.
Marvel Studios announced The Fantastic 4
The Mandalorian and The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal was rumored to be featured as Fanstatic 4’s Reed Richards, and the reception from fans was not very uplifting. Still, Marvel Studios has decided to go with the rising star as the leader of the superhero circle.
SUGGESTEDPedro Pascal’s The Fantastic Four Brings the War to James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy as Marvel’s First Family Enters the MCU
Marvel Studios Announced Fantastic 4 Cast
Marvel Studio announced the Fantastic 4 cast
The previous rumor surrounding...
Marvel Studios announced The Fantastic 4
The Mandalorian and The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal was rumored to be featured as Fanstatic 4’s Reed Richards, and the reception from fans was not very uplifting. Still, Marvel Studios has decided to go with the rising star as the leader of the superhero circle.
SUGGESTEDPedro Pascal’s The Fantastic Four Brings the War to James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy as Marvel’s First Family Enters the MCU
Marvel Studios Announced Fantastic 4 Cast
Marvel Studio announced the Fantastic 4 cast
The previous rumor surrounding...
- 2/15/2024
- by Lachit Roy
- FandomWire
It is well known that The Lord of the Rings is a very long book, so long that the original publishers insisted on dividing it into three volumes. And so it is hardly surprising that not every character in the book made it into the major screen adaptations directed and produced by Peter Jackson, and often with good reason. Many of them do not need any special mention; there’s no need to list every Orc that did not get individually named or every minor Hobbit character at Bilbo’s birthday party.
However, some of the characters who did not quite make the cut could have made great additions to the screen versions, if only time had allowed. Here are characters who did not make it into the films, but who we’d love to see have their day on the big screen, or if anyone ever makes a long-running...
However, some of the characters who did not quite make the cut could have made great additions to the screen versions, if only time had allowed. Here are characters who did not make it into the films, but who we’d love to see have their day on the big screen, or if anyone ever makes a long-running...
- 10/30/2023
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
If there's one thing I know for certain, it's that the makers of the 1992 teen comedy "Encino Man" — about an unfrozen caveman who becomes the most popular kid in high school — knew for a fact that one day, two of their stars would win Academy Awards on the exact same night for films about fatphobia and multiverses.
Yes, that much was obvious. Just like it was obvious that the kid who asked if you're supposed to eat lobster poop in "Mystic Pizza" and the basketball player who got grossed out by a Nosferatu in the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" movie would one day win Oscars for co-writing a film about a mathematics super genius, and that the unnamed street punk who asked if his fellow hooligans preferred regular or menthol cigarettes in the first "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie would one day win an Oscar for playing a racist cop in a film about billboards.
Yes, that much was obvious. Just like it was obvious that the kid who asked if you're supposed to eat lobster poop in "Mystic Pizza" and the basketball player who got grossed out by a Nosferatu in the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" movie would one day win Oscars for co-writing a film about a mathematics super genius, and that the unnamed street punk who asked if his fellow hooligans preferred regular or menthol cigarettes in the first "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie would one day win an Oscar for playing a racist cop in a film about billboards.
- 3/14/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
"I think I'm quite ready for another adventure."
When an aged Bilbo Baggins spoke that wistful line at the end of Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," it was meant as a bittersweet and definitively final note to put a capper on one of the most formative blockbuster trilogies to ever grace the silver screen. Not even Jackson or co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens could've anticipated that they'd once again be roped back into Middle-earth for an entire trilogy of "The Hobbit" movies, let alone watch from the sidelines as Prime Video swooped in to acquire the television rights for a $500+ million series called "The Rings of Power." But in an IP-fixated blockbuster landscape where we're likely to get a never-ending stream of Marvel movies and "Star Wars" installments until the heat death of the universe, it was probably inevitable that the...
When an aged Bilbo Baggins spoke that wistful line at the end of Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," it was meant as a bittersweet and definitively final note to put a capper on one of the most formative blockbuster trilogies to ever grace the silver screen. Not even Jackson or co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens could've anticipated that they'd once again be roped back into Middle-earth for an entire trilogy of "The Hobbit" movies, let alone watch from the sidelines as Prime Video swooped in to acquire the television rights for a $500+ million series called "The Rings of Power." But in an IP-fixated blockbuster landscape where we're likely to get a never-ending stream of Marvel movies and "Star Wars" installments until the heat death of the universe, it was probably inevitable that the...
- 2/24/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
The massive success of The Rings of Power and the undying popularity of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy are proof of the longevity of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium. But while Jackson’s extended editions have been pored over by fans for years, there are those who might have enjoyed the movies but have never read the books. The latter group might be surprised to learn that there are actually quite a few scenes in the films that you’ll never find in the books. Because they never happened on the page at all.
There is always a specific reason as to why changes are made, whether it’s in service of a screen adaptation’s pacing, deeper character development, or the notion that a new narrative twist can improve the experience in theaters. In many instances, things Jackson added to Tolkien’s saga have helped to...
There is always a specific reason as to why changes are made, whether it’s in service of a screen adaptation’s pacing, deeper character development, or the notion that a new narrative twist can improve the experience in theaters. In many instances, things Jackson added to Tolkien’s saga have helped to...
- 2/15/2023
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
In recent weeks Amazon has released a flurry of casting news for “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” season two. We have names of 15 actors who will join the Middle Earth cast: Gabriel Akuwudike, Yasen ‘Zates’ Atour, Ben Daniels, Amelia Kenworthy, Nia Towle, Nicholas Woodeson, Sam Hazeldine, Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Stuart Bowman, Gavi Singh Chera, William Chubb, Kevin Eldon, Will Keen, Selina Lo, and Calam Lynch. But details about their roles are scarce.
The only specific character information that accompanied the casting updates was the shocking news that Hazeldine (“Peaky Blinders”) will be taking over the role of orc-daddy Adar from Joseph Mawle. With showrunner Patrick McKay previously teasing elder elf (and ring bearer) Cirdan the Shipwright arriving next season, that still leaves 13 new roles shrouded in mystery.
Given the plot trajectory of season one and a hefty knowledge of J.R.R. Tolkien’s lore, here are the five...
The only specific character information that accompanied the casting updates was the shocking news that Hazeldine (“Peaky Blinders”) will be taking over the role of orc-daddy Adar from Joseph Mawle. With showrunner Patrick McKay previously teasing elder elf (and ring bearer) Cirdan the Shipwright arriving next season, that still leaves 13 new roles shrouded in mystery.
Given the plot trajectory of season one and a hefty knowledge of J.R.R. Tolkien’s lore, here are the five...
- 12/15/2022
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
The age of men is over, the time of spoilers has come. Read no further if you're not caught up on the latest episode of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power."
Throughout its first season, "The Rings of Power" has carefully built up an air of mystery around several of its central storylines. Who exactly is Adar (Joseph Mawle) and why does he inspire so much reverence among the orcs? Where is the Dark Lord Sauron hiding and is it possible we've already met him in the guise of someone else? And, perhaps most pressingly of all, just what is the deal with the enigmatic Stranger (Daniel Weyman)? Theories surrounding who this bearded and shaggy figure actually is abound from the wizard Gandalf to Sauron himself to -- hear us out -- the merry fellow whose boots are yellow, Tom Bombadil.
But in a welcome change of pace,...
Throughout its first season, "The Rings of Power" has carefully built up an air of mystery around several of its central storylines. Who exactly is Adar (Joseph Mawle) and why does he inspire so much reverence among the orcs? Where is the Dark Lord Sauron hiding and is it possible we've already met him in the guise of someone else? And, perhaps most pressingly of all, just what is the deal with the enigmatic Stranger (Daniel Weyman)? Theories surrounding who this bearded and shaggy figure actually is abound from the wizard Gandalf to Sauron himself to -- hear us out -- the merry fellow whose boots are yellow, Tom Bombadil.
But in a welcome change of pace,...
- 10/8/2022
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
One of the biggest differences when you go from watching "The Lord of the Rings" movies to the first "The Hobbit" movie is its abundance of songs. There are sad dwarf songs, happy songs about washing dishes, and even a song by goblins. Though the next two movies all but erased this element, the Prime Video prequel series "The Rings of Power" finally brings back one of the most important elements of Tolkien's writing: music.
"The Rings of Power" has done a lot to capture the nuances and less flashy aspects of Tolkien's writing and mythos, like his fascination with trees and kind of bleak and pessimistic look at the course of history, but few things are as essential to the legendarium, and as misunderstood by the public, as Tolkien's love of songs. After all, Professor Tolkien's creation myth for Middle-earth literally begins with a song.
Sing Us A Song!
"The Rings of Power" has done a lot to capture the nuances and less flashy aspects of Tolkien's writing and mythos, like his fascination with trees and kind of bleak and pessimistic look at the course of history, but few things are as essential to the legendarium, and as misunderstood by the public, as Tolkien's love of songs. After all, Professor Tolkien's creation myth for Middle-earth literally begins with a song.
Sing Us A Song!
- 9/23/2022
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for episode 5 of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power."
The slow-burn nature of "Partings," episode 5 of "The Rings of Power," allows the series to ramp up tensions across Middle-earth, as loyalties are tested on the eve of a dark time. The episode opens with The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) and Nori (Markella Kavenagh) having a somber conversation (with Nori doing most of the talking) about good and evil. The identity of The Stranger is one of the core mysteries of the show, as we aren't quite sure whether he's a force of good or evil, but he currently seems capable of both. We cut to the crash site of the Meteor Man, where we see white-robed, hooded figures looking on ominously. Who are these folks?
The group is led by a yet-to-be-identified character (played by Birdie Sisson) whom fans most probably misinterpreted as a...
The slow-burn nature of "Partings," episode 5 of "The Rings of Power," allows the series to ramp up tensions across Middle-earth, as loyalties are tested on the eve of a dark time. The episode opens with The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) and Nori (Markella Kavenagh) having a somber conversation (with Nori doing most of the talking) about good and evil. The identity of The Stranger is one of the core mysteries of the show, as we aren't quite sure whether he's a force of good or evil, but he currently seems capable of both. We cut to the crash site of the Meteor Man, where we see white-robed, hooded figures looking on ominously. Who are these folks?
The group is led by a yet-to-be-identified character (played by Birdie Sisson) whom fans most probably misinterpreted as a...
- 9/23/2022
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
"The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, the new fantasy series comes with the built-in expectations and standards of everything that the brand name implies; after all, it is following in the footsteps of one of the most highly acclaimed and widely praised film trilogies of all time. On the other, its never-before-seen time period in Middle-earth and unique storytelling ambitions -- essentially, an origin story for the powerful rings depicted in the prologue of "The Fellowship of the Ring" and for the Dark Lord who secretly manipulated their creation -- has given the show an opportunity to set itself apart and forge its own identity altogether.
So how could the creative team possibly unite these two seemingly contradictory aims? It's easy, really.
By the end of the premiere episode, "The Rings of Power" introduced a...
So how could the creative team possibly unite these two seemingly contradictory aims? It's easy, really.
By the end of the premiere episode, "The Rings of Power" introduced a...
- 9/14/2022
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Warning: Massive spoilers ahead for episode 3 of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power."
Dark tidings are afoot in Middle-earth, and episode 3 of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" raises the stakes by introducing a potentially brand new villain. The name "Adar" is dropped repeatedly within the first few minutes of the episodes when orcs drag Silvan elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) through the tunnels that are being dug in the Southlands.
As the events of "The Rings of Power" take place during the Second Age of Middle-earth, fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's exhaustive notes, appendices, and manuscripts assumed that Sauron himself would emerge as the major villain of the Prime Video series. While Adar could very well be Sauron assuming another form, this theory would lead to too obvious of a reveal, which may or may not be what the show is aiming for.
Dark tidings are afoot in Middle-earth, and episode 3 of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" raises the stakes by introducing a potentially brand new villain. The name "Adar" is dropped repeatedly within the first few minutes of the episodes when orcs drag Silvan elf Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova) through the tunnels that are being dug in the Southlands.
As the events of "The Rings of Power" take place during the Second Age of Middle-earth, fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's exhaustive notes, appendices, and manuscripts assumed that Sauron himself would emerge as the major villain of the Prime Video series. While Adar could very well be Sauron assuming another form, this theory would lead to too obvious of a reveal, which may or may not be what the show is aiming for.
- 9/9/2022
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
This Lord of the Rings article contains spoilers for The Rings of Power.
There’s a lot to take in during the first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, from the introduction of multiple cultures and people across Middle-earth (and beyond), shots of dazzling new locations, and a rapid-fire crash course in the history of the First Age and war against Morgoth. But one of the weirdest moments had to be the crash landing of what appeared to be a fiery comet, but actually turned out to be a raggedy man with no obvious identity.
In a world where dark gods and elves exist, a random naked man falling from the sky like a meteor isn’t really that weird, is it? Probably not, but it is the biggest mystery on The Rings of Power at the moment. Who is this strange man? Where did he come from?...
There’s a lot to take in during the first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, from the introduction of multiple cultures and people across Middle-earth (and beyond), shots of dazzling new locations, and a rapid-fire crash course in the history of the First Age and war against Morgoth. But one of the weirdest moments had to be the crash landing of what appeared to be a fiery comet, but actually turned out to be a raggedy man with no obvious identity.
In a world where dark gods and elves exist, a random naked man falling from the sky like a meteor isn’t really that weird, is it? Probably not, but it is the biggest mystery on The Rings of Power at the moment. Who is this strange man? Where did he come from?...
- 9/3/2022
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Warning: contains spoilers for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books and movies.
With Amazon’s The Rings of Power series coming out very soon, there’s been a lot of talk about how faithful – or otherwise – the series is to Tolkien’s lore. But what exactly does it mean to be faithful to a book? We all know that no TV or film adaptation can simply take a book and put it on screen. For one thing, everyone imagines something slightly different, and for another, what works in a novel does not necessarily work on screen.
For every BBC 1995 Pride and Prejudice, which as close as any adaptation to taking the words of the book and filming them, there’s a Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which ends up feeling slow and awkwardly paced by sticking doggedly to the source material. Even Pride and Prejudice...
With Amazon’s The Rings of Power series coming out very soon, there’s been a lot of talk about how faithful – or otherwise – the series is to Tolkien’s lore. But what exactly does it mean to be faithful to a book? We all know that no TV or film adaptation can simply take a book and put it on screen. For one thing, everyone imagines something slightly different, and for another, what works in a novel does not necessarily work on screen.
For every BBC 1995 Pride and Prejudice, which as close as any adaptation to taking the words of the book and filming them, there’s a Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which ends up feeling slow and awkwardly paced by sticking doggedly to the source material. Even Pride and Prejudice...
- 8/23/2022
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
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