Lego Prepares to Take the Rest of Your Money with 'Lego Dimensions'

Keen on getting a piece of that Disney: Infinite/Skylanders/Nintendo Amiibo action, Lego has just announced Lego Dimensions, another collectible figure video game that merges several licenses into one universe-hopping adventure. Sadly, it doesn't look like we'll be getting Star Wars or Marvel characters in the game for legal reasons, but we'll clearly be seeing familiar faces from The Wizard of Oz, DC Comics, Back to the Future, The Lord of the Rings and Ghostbusters. Oh, and naturally, folks from The Lego Movie will play into this pretty heavily.

The Lego Dimensions Starter Pack retails for $99.99 on current-gen consoles, and comes with Gandalf, Batman and The Lego Movie's Wyldstyle, along with a Batmobile vehicle. Additional figures will come packed with DLC, following the model established by similar games in this genre.

Joel McHale stars in the trailer, which you can watch below.

Principal Photography Begins on 'The Hobbit'

Be excited, J.R.R. Tolkienites! Warner Bros./New Line Cinema and MGM Studios have announced that principal photography has officially begun on The Hobbit, Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated two-film prequel to his Academy Award-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Furthermore, as I learned on /Film, Jackson will be keeping fans updated throughout the production with an official Facebook page, featuring news and photos from the set (including the one posted above). Check out and “Like” this page on Facebook by clicking here.

In other Lord of the Rings news, we’re getting a monstrous Blu-ray boxed set of the Extended Edition trilogy on June 28. For more on that, head over to Topless Robot.

Warner Bros. to Distribute and Fund 'The Hobbit'

Tolkienites rejoice! Deadline.com is reporting that production on The Hobbit can officially move forward unfettered, as Warner Bros. has agreed to distribute both films and cover their combined $500 million price tag.

To make a long and convoluted story short, cash-strapped MGM Studios owns the rights to the property but lack the funds to bring it to the movie-going masses. As a result of this new deal, MGM will retain worldwide television rights to the films, while Warner Bros. will reap the benefits of their global box-office take as well as home video sales.

The two-film Lord of the Rings prequel, helmed by returning franchise director Peter Jackson, begins shooting next month. Rumored to return to Middle-earth are Lord of the Rings alumni Cate Blanchett, Sir Ian McKellan, Orlando Bloom and Elijah Wood.

For the full story, click here.

Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett Return for 'The Hobbit'

Deadline is reporting that Orlando Bloom is expected to reprise the role of Legolas in The Hobbit, the forthcoming two-part prequel to Peter Jackson’s Academy Award-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy. This news follows confirmation that Cate Blanchett will be returning to the J.R.R. Tolkien film franchise as Galadriel.

It should be noted that neither Legolas nor the Lady of the Wood explicitly appear in Tolkien’s original text, but I wager Jackson will have little trouble weaving them into the core narrative.

For the full story, click here.

There and Back Again: Peter Jackson Might Direct 'The Hobbit'

After director Guillermo del Toro decided to step away from Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated two-film adaptation of The Hobbit, things seemed bleak for the Lord of the Rings prequel. Now, Deadline.com reports, it looks like the Academy Award-winning director of the Rings trilogy is planning to helm the films himself.

Although this news has yet to be confirmed by Jackson’s camp, the Kiwi director is reportedly in the negotiations stage with New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. and MGM.

Click here for the full story.

Peter Jackson Knighted in New Zealand

While Patrick Stewart was being knighted in the United Kingdom earlier this week, Oscar-winning director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and fellow geek icon Peter Jackson became Sir Peter Jackson in New Zealand, BBC News reports.

“I didn’t think anything would surpass the 2004 Academy Awards, but I was wrong,” the filmmaker said in a statement, referring to The Return of the King’s 11 Oscar wins that year including Best Picture and Best Director. “The feeling of gratitude and pride I have in accepting this honor from my home country is profound.”

Jackson’s The Lovely Bones, based on the 2002 novel by Alice Sebold, will get a wide release in the United States on January 15.

The Lord of the Rings Hits Blu-ray in April

By Gandalf’s beard! Peter Jackson’s breathtaking Lord of the Rings trilogy is finally making its way to Blu-ray on April 6. But, Den of Geek reports, the six-disc set will only include the theatrical cuts of the films. If you want high-definition versions of the Extended Editions—the only way to watch these films, in my opinion—then you might need to wait until the first installment of The Hobbit hits theaters in 2011. A smart move by Warner Bros., but a cash grab nonetheless.

Since I’ll likely have a Blu-ray player of some sort by April, I’m tempted. However, I already own both versions of these movies on DVD, and I’m not about to make the same mistake on a new format. I’ll pass for now.

Production Delayed on The Hobbit

Peter Jackson has announced that production on the two-part film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit will start in the summer of 2010—a few months later than expected, Variety reports. The Lord of the Rings prequels, helmed by Hellboy director Guillermo del Toro, are slated for release in December 2011 and December 2012.

But what on Middle-earth is the hold up? Jackson, an executive producer on the film, said that he, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and del Toro are still working on the second Hobbit script, and aim to have it finished early next year. After the script is completed, the film will be budgeted and shooting can begin in New Zealand.

I have faith in Jackson, and I doubt we’ll be seeing the first installment of The Hobbit any later than 2011. But whenever it does hit theaters, rest assured: geeks will be there…and back again.

The Lord of the Rings Conquers Consoles in January

It may be a cliché, but good things really do come to those who wait. IGN reports that Pandemic Studios’ multiplatform The Lord of the Rings: Conquest will be released January 9, 2009 internationally and January 13 in the United States, missing its previously-set fall 2008 release date.

Do you like the Star Wars: Battlefront series? Are you a J.R.R. Tolkien fanatic? If so, this game promises to combine the two in a geektastic smorgasbord that brings the awesome and brings it hard. If you answered no to both of the above questions—and probably combined your responses with an annoyed grunt of some kind—then this post must be boring the hell out of you so far. Sorry, pal.

I tried to get into The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth II on Xbox 360 in 2006, and I didn’t like the distant, real-time strategy gameplay employed. It may work on a PC (see Command & Conquer, StarCraft) but I've yet to play an RTS on a console that I've actually had fun with. I’m also not a huge fan of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), so The Lord of the Rings Online doesn’t necessarily get me all hot and bothered like a Hobbit in a cake shop. But if Conquest provides the same visceral, boots-on-the-ground action that the Battlefront games have provided then this is easily a must-buy on my end.

Click here to visit Pandemic's official site for more information on The Lord of the Rings: Conquest.

Breaking The Hobbit

The interweb is abuzz with news that Peter Jackson, director of the Academy-Award winning Lord of the Rings trilogy will not be returning to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit to the big screen. Due to some piddling legal mumbo jumbo that I'm not entirely clear on, it's looking like the film will make it to big screen without Jackson's magic touch...and without his writing team...and without his special effects house. Oof.

Now I've seen some stupid studio decisions lately, including the supposed greenlighting of a sequel to Alien Vs. Predator. But this? This has misfire written all over it. Now, the LOTR movies aren't perfect, but damn it they're close. Why screw that up?

Show your support. Head on over to TheOneRing.net and let your voices be heard as loud as the Horn of Gondor. Oh yes, I went there...and back again.