https://www.scmp.com/rss/45515/feed The Lord of the Rings is a fantasy novel written by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's fantasy novel The Hobbit, but eventually developed into a much larger work. It is the third best-selling novel ever written, with over 150 million copies sold. Set in the fictional world of Middle-earth, the book follows the hobbit Frodo Baggins as he and a Fellowship embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring, and thus ensure the destruction of the Dark... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse John Howe, the illustrator who brought J.R.R. Tolkien’s universe to life, is now inviting the world into his mind’s eye by setting up his studio in a medieval prison turned museum in Switzerland. The 68-year-old is famed for his interpretation of Tolkien’s literary work, which ultimately saw him serve as a concept artist on filmmaker Peter Jackson’s movie trilogies The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. A lover of mythology and legends, the internationally acclaimed illustrator has also worked on... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3336707/tolkien-illustrator-john-howe-opens-studio-where-visitors-can-watch-him-he-works?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts/article/3336707/tolkien-illustrator-john-howe-opens-studio-where-visitors-can-watch-him-he-works?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 13:15:08 +0000 Elijah Wood is off the market for good and has no plans of hiding it. According to TMZ, The Lord of the Rings star apparently exchanged vows with his long-time love Mette-Marie Kongsved on New Year’s Eve in Sweden and is already flaunting his newly-wed status in public. During an appearance on the Inside of You podcast with Michael Rosenbaum, Wood lovingly referred to Kongsved as his “wife”, sharing how thankful he was for their family. “I’m beyond grateful for my family, my kids and my wife.... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3294188/meet-mette-marie-kongsved-who-elijah-wood-secretly-married-new-years-eve-danish-film-producer-who?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3294188/meet-mette-marie-kongsved-who-elijah-wood-secretly-married-new-years-eve-danish-film-producer-who?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jan 2025 22:00:11 +0000 New Zealand was primarily known abroad for its sheep, its wine and its rugby team on the September day in 1998 that filmmaker Peter Jackson’s helicopter landed on a sprawling family farm about 150km south of Auckland. The country’s film industry was another matter: though New Zealand had produced crossover successes like Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures and Jane Campion’s Oscar winner The Piano, it was nearly as far from the thinking of Hollywood studios as it was from Hollywood itself. But that was... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3244671/my-precious-new-zealand-recalls-big-advertisement-lord-rings-20-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3244671/my-precious-new-zealand-recalls-big-advertisement-lord-rings-20-years?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Dec 2023 20:00:20 +0000 Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne had been writing screenplays together for two decades when Amazon Studios announced it had acquired the rights to make a TV series based on the fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings. And who wouldn’t want to do that? “We, along with half the other writers in Hollywood, raised our hands and said we’d love the opportunity,” Payne says. “We should be so lucky.” Both loved the works of Tolkien. McKay’s mother gave him The Hobbit when he was in fifth... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3191226/tolkien-left-us-seeds-rings-power-creators-how-they-mined?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3191226/tolkien-left-us-seeds-rings-power-creators-how-they-mined?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Sep 2022 11:15:20 +0000 Like the rest of the world, China is still reeling from the disappointing conclusion to HBO’s Game of Thrones. But now fans of fantasy dramas can finally look forward to what they hope will be a worthy successor to one of the biggest blockbuster series of our time.  Over the weekend, Amazon released a trailer teasing the creative staff behind their upcoming Lord of the Ring series. The team includes industry heavy hitters who have worked on some of the biggest hits on TV and film, including Game... https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/china-hopes-amazons-lord-rings-will-fill-void-left-game-thrones/article/3020435?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/digital-life/china-hopes-amazons-lord-rings-will-fill-void-left-game-thrones/article/3020435?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jul 2019 11:01:05 +0000 This article originally appeared on ABACUS Like the rest of the world, China is still reeling from the disappointing conclusion to HBO’s Game of Thrones. But now fans of fantasy dramas can finally look forward to what they hope will be a worthy successor to one of the biggest blockbuster series of our time.  Over the weekend, Amazon released a trailer teasing the creative staff behind their upcoming Lord of the Ring series. The team includes industry heavy hitters who have worked on some of the... https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3029505/china-hopes-amazons-lord-rings-will-fill-void-left-game-thrones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3029505/china-hopes-amazons-lord-rings-will-fill-void-left-game-thrones?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jul 2019 11:01:05 +0000 In 1937, English writer J.R.R. Tolkien published his first novel The Hobbit. It was a children’s book intended for a young readership. 17 years later, Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings trilogy for people who had grown up reading The Hobbit and were now in their 30s. The Lord of the Rings has a more sophisticated plot, more complex characters and more distinct philosophical themes. Since the publication of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit has fallen somewhat by the wayside, and is... https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1116489/movie-review-hobbit-unexpected-journey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/blogs/article/1116489/movie-review-hobbit-unexpected-journey?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Dec 2012 03:29:36 +0000 Lego: The Lord of the Rings TT Games   J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy world receives a magical Lego makeover just in time for the release of the first of director Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy. TT Games, publisher of the various movie-themed Lego games releases, takes on the Lord of the Rings trilogy in a single volume that will please fans of the movies and books alike. TT Games earned a name for itself turning major movie franchises into Lego games, most notably by Lego-ifying the six Star... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1109791/videogame-lego-lord-rings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1109791/videogame-lego-lord-rings?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 As creator of Middle-earth, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the most successful authors in history. And yet, says Simon Tolkien, the grandfather he remembers seemed to think he had failed. It wasn't that his work hadn't met with acclaim; by the time of his death in 1973, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were bestsellers. The problem, says Simon, was that the bigger picture Tolkien had wanted the world to know - the complex hinterland of which the books were... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1094654/simon-tolkien-remembers-his-grandfather?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1094654/simon-tolkien-remembers-his-grandfather?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000 A New Zealand volcano in a national park used as a backdrop for The Lord of the Rings films erupted with a brief blast of dark ash yesterday, cancelling flights, but causing no significant damage. Schoolchildren and dozens of other hikers who were walking on trails along the mountain's base were safe after the eruption of Mount Tongariro. It was the volcano's second blast in less than four months, sending a dark ash plume about three kilometers into the sky. Authorities issued a no-fly alert... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1087823/lord-rings-volcano-new-zealand-erupts-2nd-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1087823/lord-rings-volcano-new-zealand-erupts-2nd-time?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 A volcano that doubled as Mount Doom in The Lord of the Rings series of movies is in danger of erupting as pressure builds in an underground vent, officials in New Zealand said yesterday. The Department of Conservation warned hikers to avoid walking near the summit of Mount Ruapehu. It said temperature readings by scientists indicated an increased risk of eruption at the country's largest active volcano. "The current situation can't continue. Ruapehu is so active that the temperatures have been... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1086349/new-zealand-volcano-used-mount-doom-lord-rings-may-erupt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1086349/new-zealand-volcano-used-mount-doom-lord-rings-may-erupt?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000 A new in-flight safety video featuring characters from the Lord of the Rings trilogy has received over 2 million views on YouTube. The four-minute film by Air New Zealand celebrates the upcoming premiere of the first in the “Hobbit” movie trilogy and has proved a hit with passengers who usually pay little attention to those snooze-inducing inflight safety videos. The airline’s four-minute safety video featuring the character Gollum and film director Peter Jackson got more than 2 million hits on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1074524/air-new-zealand-hobbit-themed-safety-video-youtube-hit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1074524/air-new-zealand-hobbit-themed-safety-video-youtube-hit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Nov 2012 02:49:08 +0000 The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien Published by HarperCollins ISBN 9780261103283 Set in the same world as Tolkien's great epic, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit takes the reader back 50 years, and describes the events that led to the finding of The Ring. It also gives greater insight into the world of the dwarves and the Eastern regions of Middle Earth, which are less covered in the main trilogy. Hobbits call themselves the 'little folk' because of their short stature. They treasure good food,... https://www.scmp.com/article/725904/light-hearted-fantasy-introduces-middle-earth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/725904/light-hearted-fantasy-introduces-middle-earth?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Sep 2010 16:00:00 +0000 Do all you online wargamers out there ever feel that playing games on the internet is just too unreal? Ever feel like you could do with something more solid? Fun Atelier is the answer to your prayers. Not only is the store a collector's dream, it also acts as a gathering place for tabletop wargaming fanatics. Tabletop wars involve two players or teams facing each other with miniature soldiers. Players fight to eliminate their opponent's forces, gaining points for each soldier struck... https://www.scmp.com/article/557704/war-room?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/557704/war-room?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jul 2006 16:00:00 +0000 IT'S BEEN MORE than four years in the making, is said to be the most expensive theatrical presentation ever and its producer likens the process to climbing Everest. From the mixed reaction of the critics, there's a way to climb yet. But then staging a musical version of The Lord of the Rings was never going to be easy. Producer Kevin Wallace started work on the US$25 million show in November 2001, before the first of Peter Jackson's trilogy hit the big screen. The 48-year-old and his team -... https://www.scmp.com/article/544906/ring-changes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/544906/ring-changes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Apr 2006 16:00:00 +0000 Emma Lee, 12, Independent School Foundation Academy CD Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson. The lyrics are meaningful and the beat is perfect. DVD Finding Nemo. An animation that reminds you to never forget your family and to love them forever. Movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The costumes are excellent and is has incredible special effects. Book Girl World by Theresa Cheung. A handbook for girls that teaches you how to survive girl wars, gossip,... https://www.scmp.com/article/541090/hot-picks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/541090/hot-picks?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Mar 2006 16:00:00 +0000 Thomas du Pre de Saint Maur is the international marketing director for fragrances at Dior. He was recently in Hong Kong to promote the launch of Pure Poison. Q: What's the rationale behind the launch? A: We talked to a lot of women and looked at cultural and social trends, and we realised that people are willing to dream now more than ever. The movies that are doing well now - Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings - show this. When we wanted to do a fragrance, we knew we already had a... https://www.scmp.com/article/468661/poison-paean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/468661/poison-paean?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Aug 2004 16:00:00 +0000 Have you seen Lord of the Rings? For those of you who have not, it isn't just a movie about war and nationalism, but about human values. And that's something to bear in mind when making your new year's resolutions. New year's resolutions are often about resisting temptations. How do the two connect? Well, think about Gollum. Because of the evil temptation of the ring, he killed his best friend and lived a life of ruin. If he had been able to resist this temptation, he would have lived a... https://www.scmp.com/article/439911/take-cue-movies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/439911/take-cue-movies?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2004 16:00:00 +0000 One of the greatest fantasy adventure stories ever told - J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings - mesmerised local fans who sat through all three cinematic episodes in a one-off, 14-hour marathon at UA Pacific Place in Admiralty last week. Participants in the 'marathon' won their seats in competitions organised by Commercial Radio and UA Cinemas last month. Sponsors held lucky draws between and after the screening of the three films that included prizes worth a total of $100,000. One person... https://www.scmp.com/article/439006/rings-marathon-whets-fans-appetite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/439006/rings-marathon-whets-fans-appetite?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2003 16:00:00 +0000 For the characters, and the audience, The Return Of The King marks the end of a journey. For director Peter Jackson, who spent seven years transforming the books into films, the fruits of his labour have only just begun to sink in. Until two weeks ago, Jackson hadn't even seen the finished product. He left it until he was surrounded by family and colleagues, at the world premiere in Wellington, New Zealand. 'I'd finished it reel by reel, and sent it off to New Line Pictures,' he says. 'Then at... https://www.scmp.com/article/438516/precious-times-precious-memories?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/438516/precious-times-precious-memories?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2003 16:00:00 +0000 Hollow Man Pearl, 9.30pm When a team of scientists creates a serum that makes people invisible, one of them, Sebastian Caine (Kevin Bacon), tries it on himself. However, the antidote fails and Caine finds himself in the initially enviable, but ultimately horrifying, predicament of being permanently undetectable to the human eye. The Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring HBO, 9pm The Oscar-winning first instalment of Peter Jackson's version of Tolkein's epic fantasy adventure.... https://www.scmp.com/article/437903/pick-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/437903/pick-day?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2003 16:00:00 +0000 * Coming up: Win tickets to Disney On Ice Jungle Adventures PLUS blockbuster DVD or games vouchers - watch competitions - Activity Zone * Competitions: Win great new teenage books, The Great Blue Yonder and Mercy, PLUS hurry to win Digimon03 tickets - Activity Zone * Do you prefer working on computers or in notebooks PLUS what do you think will happen in the third The Lord Of The Rings movie? Have your say - Communication Zone * Write your own story, send us a photo of yourself and look for... https://www.scmp.com/article/404015/whats-hot-ypweb?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/404015/whats-hot-ypweb?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Jan 2003 16:00:00 +0000 Those who worry that they may not be able to follow The Two Towers because a) they have not seen its first instalment, or b) they have, but since it was a year ago have forgotten everything - they need not worry. Like any soap opera, you can pick up the second part of The Lord Of The Rings trilogy from where they left off in 2001 within minutes. The Two Towers opens with a sequence from The Fellowship Of The Ring when Gandalf the good wizard (played by Sir Ian McKellen) is about to plunge into... https://www.scmp.com/article/402447/ringing-true?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/402447/ringing-true?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Jan 2003 16:00:00 +0000 Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen Director: Peter Jackson Category: IIB New Zealand director Peter Jackson obviously relishes a challenge. Not content with tackling author JRR Tolkien's The Lord Of The Rings trilogy in the first place, for this the second of his three films, Jackson begins by throwing the audience straight into the action. There's no Star Wars-style scroll, no booming voiceover to bring us up to date with what's been going on. Considering all... https://www.scmp.com/article/402200/lord-rings-two-towers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/402200/lord-rings-two-towers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Jan 2003 16:00:00 +0000 * Competitions: Win Harry Potter prizes PLUS Christmas fun at Ocean Park - win tickets now! * Coming up: Win Blockbuster DVD vouchers PLUS tickets to The Lord Of The Rings * Read the RTHK/SCMP Short Story Competition junior winners' stories - Read Me * What will you buy your friend for Christmas PLUS why is it so important to learn English? - Have your say - Communication Zone * Enjoy cooking? Look at our Christmas recipe and send us your favourite recipe - Activity Zone Visit Young Post... https://www.scmp.com/article/400152/whats-hot-ypweb?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/400152/whats-hot-ypweb?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Dec 2002 16:00:00 +0000 Why is it that in Hong Kong we have to wait so long for some of the biggest upcoming movie releases? The new Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings movies will not be released here until December 19 and January 23 respectively, in both cases over a month after the worldwide release date. Both of these are the second instalment of hugely successful franchises and it seems very shortsighted to delay them for this amount of time. I understand that subtitles have to be prepared, but this has been no... https://www.scmp.com/article/398038/late-arrivals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/398038/late-arrivals?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Nov 2002 16:00:00 +0000 Lord of the Rings was Hong Kong's most profitable film over the Lunar New Year holiday. The fantasy epic grossed nearly $21 million in two weeks after opening at 31 cinemas, the highest figure in the latest Top 10 box office list. But it was only the sixth most popular film on Tuesday, raking in $460,000. Topping the chart was the animated picture Monsters, Inc, with a daily taking of $1.2 million and a total of $19 million after 11 days. Lord Of The Rings distributor Era said the film's... https://www.scmp.com/article/371925/lord-rings-holiday-favourite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/371925/lord-rings-holiday-favourite?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Feb 2002 16:00:00 +0000 ''I THINK this is a progression of life.'' These words, with which Dr Peter Liu, of Hong Kong's first sex selection clinic, described his money-making service (Sunday Morning Post, November 7), reminded me of the severe judgment J. R. R. Tolkien, the imaginative author of The Lord of the Rings, passed on his times and civilisation, which, not unexpectedly, look so akin to our own. Ours is an age, he said, of ''improved means to deteriorated ends''. FR. LANFRANCO FEDRIGOTTI Hong Kong https://www.scmp.com/article/52583/means-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/52583/means-end?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Nov 1993 16:00:00 +0000