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Tag: Lord of the Rings

  • Julia Stiles, Matt Damon Ready for ‘Bourne 5’

    Julia Stiles and Matt Damon are reportedly both in for the filming of the next in the series of the Bourne spy franchise films. Tentatively called Bourne 5, Nicky Parsons and Jason Bourne are back with these actor’s reprisals.

    Alongside Matt Damon, Julia Stiles starred in The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum. Neither appeared in The Bourne Legacy. Paul Greengrass, who directed both Supremacy and Ultimatum, is coming back to direct Bourne 5.

    Julia Stiles’ portrayal of Nicky Parsons serves as one of the major links connecting the original three Bourne movies. It makes perfect sense for her to continue playing a role in this next chapter. Nicky has deep knowledge of Jason Bourne’s psychological issues, and this knowledge would likely come into play during the Bourne 5 narrative–as featured in the script that Greengrass and Damon have written alongside Paul Greengrass’s longtime editor, Christopher Rouse.

    It’s possible that Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen will join Matt Damon and Julia Stiles in Bourne 5. He’s purportedly being eyed for the role of the film’s villain. Alicia Vikander of Ex Machina fame is as possibility in a key role as well.

    Regardless of the other players, Matt Damon and Julia Stiles are said to be a done deal. Filming is set to begin next month with Bourne 5 scheduled to hit theaters in July of 2016.

    Are you excited to learn that Julia Stiles and Matt Damon will soon reprise their Bourne roles?

  • Christopher Lee: Heavy Metal, Horror, Wizardry; The Occult?

    When Christopher Lee died recently at the age of 93, the memorials and biographical news segments came pouring.

    We learned that Christopher Lee was in the British Special Forces We learned that Lee was not only in a James Bond film, he was related to Ian Fleming by marriage.

    While Lee was famous for his later life roles, such as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit series, as well as Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequels, he had a large body of work prior to those. Many did not know that Christopher Lee had an entire career in horror films long before his Saruman days.

    Lee starred in a long series of horror films in the 1950s and ’60s for Hammer Film Productions.

    These “Hammer Horror” films are cult classics to this day. In the Hammer Horror films Lee played Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, Sir Henry Baskerville, Rasputin, and many other roles.

    Then there was the heavy metal music that Christopher Lee jumped into when he was already in his 80s. Not “in the 80s,” in HIS 80s.

    Lee had sung on albums before, particularly opera and musicals. But he got into heavy metal in 2004 on an album by metal band Rhapsody. Lee released his own album in 2006 called Revelation. After that came Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross in 2010, and Charlemagne: The Omens of Death in 2013.

    Christopher Lee also did two heavy metal Christmas albums, followed by the EP Metal Knight.

    Lee said he got a kick out of giving his metal fans some fun with the Christmas albums.

    “It’s light-hearted, joyful and fun… At my age, the most important thing for me is to keep active by doing things that I truly enjoy. I do not know how long I am going to be around, so every day is a celebration and I want to share it with my fans.”

    He did horror films and heavy metal music, but was Christopher Lee involved in the occult?

    There were many long-standing rumors that Christopher Lee was a big proponent of the occult. Some claimed that Lee had a library of over 20,000 books on the occult.

    Lee dismissed these rumors as ridiculous.

    “Somebody wrote I have 20,000 books. I’d have to live in a bath! I have maybe four or five [occult books].”

    In fact, Christopher Lee was very wary of occult involvement, telling students, “I warn all of you: never, never, never. You will not only lose your mind, you’ll lose your soul.”

  • Demi Moore and Orlando Bloom? Are They Dating?

    Demi Moore and Orlando Bloom are reportedly ‘getting close.’ The pair were spotted on a yoga date this week, and rumor has it they were set up by mutual friend Jennifer Aniston. It’s also believed that the two bonded over their love of yoga.

    “They are both deeply spiritual characters who love yoga, meditation and new age philosophies. They’ve both been initiated into spiritual practice Usui Reiki and have started to practice on each other,” a source said.

    Orlando Bloom and ex-wife Miranda Kerr split up in 2013–the same year Demi Moore split from Two and A Half Men star Ashton Kutcher.

    “At this stage it’s a casual thing, nothing serious and it’s not yet exclusive. But they’ve enjoyed several low-key dates together and the potential is definitely there for something steadier,” the source adds.

    Demi Moore is, once again, robbing the cradle by dating Orlando Bloom. She is 52 and he is just 38 years old. Given that Ashton Kutcher is 37, Demi Moore now has closed that May-December relationship gap by a year.

    “The thing Demi loves the most about Orlando is how positive he is. His uplifting influence is just what she feels she needs, as do her daughters–particularly Tallulah,” the source continues.

    Demi Moore reportedly believes Orlando Bloom is a good influence on all three of her daughters–Rumer, who is 26, Scout, who is 23, and Tallulah, who is 21.

    It may not be a given that Demi Moore and the Lord of the Rings actor are exclusively dating, however. He has also been spotted with a mystery blonde in recent weeks, and even with Selena Gomez.

    What do you think the deal is with Orlando Bloom and Demi Moore? Are they really dating or do they simply share a love of yoga?

    Do you see a future for these two?

  • ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ Gets a Final Trailer

    The final installment of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy is almost here. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies will be hitting U.S. theaters on December 17. Advance ticket sales for the movie begin in just a few days.

    Three months ago Warner Bros. released a two-minute teaser trailer for The Battle of the Five Armies. Now the “official main trailer” for the movie has been released. The video shows that many fan-favorite characters from the Lord of the Rings movies will make appearances in the final Hobbit chapter.

    The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies will depict the climactic events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Titular character Bilbo Baggins, having awoken and enraged the dragon Smaug, must now join Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield’s band of dwarves to defend the Lonely Mountain. The battle for which the third movie is named will also be a part of the story, pitting men, dwarves, elves, goblins, and other Middle-Earth creatures against each other in a sequence that’s sure to rival the Battle of the Pelennor Fields as it was depicted in Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Meanwhile, a dark power familiar to Lord of the Rings fans has begun to make itself known again.

    Richard Armitage, who plays Oakenshield in the Hobbit movies, complimented Jackson and company on the trailer, saying that he is “proud” to have starred in the movies.

    The world premiere of The Battle of the Five Armies will take place on December 1 at Leicester Square in London. The premiere will be attended by much of the movie’s cast and crew. Warner Bros. has announced that the premiere festivities will be live-streamed.

  • Ian McKellen Salutes Gay Pride Parade Revellers

    Sir Ian McKellen made an appearance at the Pride in London Parade on Saturday.

    The parade is just one part of the city’s week-long Pride in London festival, which takes place every year to celebrate gay rights.

    McKellen, 75, who came out at the age of 49 during a BBC radio interview, was on-hand to introduce Eurovision song contest winner Conchita Wurst.

    “Show business has always led the way when it comes to the freedom to be yourself,” said the Lord of the Rings actor to a crowd of more than 300,000.

    “So, Conchita is following in the footsteps of our predecessors. There is a long tradition of outrageousness and confidence that performers embody, and that has an enormous impact. It clears the way for others to dare to be themselves. She has done just that.”

    McKellen told the revellers about his memories of the first parade he attended around 25 years ago, saying he will “never forget the feeling of being able to walk along all ages and experiences, and to finally be cheered for being ourselves.”

    “Today I have seen people in wheelchairs, all ages, teenagers, from all countries, and they are all proud of who we are,” said the X-Men star. “There are teenagers who have travelled from their own home countries to London for this, and when I see that I can say that in all honesty the world must have changed for the better. For that, I am grateful to all the old timers who pioneered the gay rights movement.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • ‘Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor’ Coming in October

    Back in January, Warner Bros. previewed yet another Lord of the Rings-branded video game. Titled Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, the game’s first preview surprised many appearing to be a quality action/RPG rather than another failed MOBA project.

    Today Warner Bros. announced that Shadow of Mordor will be released on October 7 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC. This is the same date that SEGA announced earlier this week for its Alien: Isolation launch.

    Along with the release date announcement, Warner Bros. today provided yet another look at Shadow of Mordor. The game’s new story trailer teases a twisted Tolkien tale of a ranger named Talion who loses everything only to be resurrected with mysterious new powers:

    As shown near the end of the trailer, players who pre-order Shadow of Mordor will receive some extra in-game DLC content. These extras include a “Dark Ranger” character skin, and access to the “Test of Power” challenge mode.

    Shadow of Mordor is being developed by Monolith Productions, the studio behind the Condemned games and F.E.A.R. 2. Monolith also oversaw the production of the Guardians of Middle-earth MOBA.

    The game’s story has been written by Christian Cantamessa, the lead writer for Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption. It involves Talion, a ranger who was stationed at the black gate the night of Sauron’s return to Middle-earth. After being slain by Sauron’s Black Captains, Talion returns to life imbued with ringwraith-like powers. Players will have to journey across Mordor and Middle-earth to discover the truth behind these mysterious events.

    Despite the up-and-down nature of the quality of Lord of the Rings video games, Shadow of Mordor appears to be an ambitious entry. In addition to the original story, the game’s developers are promising that the game world and Mordor itself will change in response to player actions. For example, Monolith is touting a “nemesis system” that will change enemy reactions and placements based on previous run-ins with players.

  • Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor Might Be The Most Fun You Have With Lord of The Rings Fan Fiction

    Monolith Productions made survival horror tense and fun on the Xbox 360 and PS3 with F.E.A.R. and Condemned: Criminal Origins. After making a free-to-play shooter and a MOBA, they’re back with an ambitious console and PC title set in Middle-Earth.

    Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is a new video game set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The game’s plot is not based on any of the writings from Tolkien, but rather an entirely new plot written by Christian Cantamessa – lead writer on Red Dead Redemption.

    In the first gameplay trailer for Shadow of Mordor, we’re introduced to what makes the game so ambitious – the Nemesis System. The Nemesis System allows enemies to remember past encounters with the player character and have that inform their behavior. In the demo, we’re given the example of an orc that’s far more violent towards the player character thanks to a previous run-in that left half his face covered in burns.

    Since this is a video game, Tolkien’s lore doesn’t matter. The game lets the player character – a ranger – use wraith powers to take control of enemies, instill fear in them and see the world that only the wraiths and those who wear the one ring can see. Tolkien diehards will probably cry foul, but it looks like a lot of fun.

    Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is scheduled to launch later this year on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC.

    Image via xbox/YouTube

  • Patrick Stewart: Best Christmas Gift if in NYC

    A Christmas dream come true…

    A double-dose of X-men‘s Sir Patrick Stewart and Lord of the Ring‘s Sir Ian McKellen on Broadway!

    The always elegant and dapper British actors are performing in not just one, but in two alternating plays on Broadway this season: Harold Pinter’s “No Man’s Land” and Samuel Beckett’s classic “Waiting for Godot,”

    Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart sat down with “Power Players” to discuss how they manage to keep from mixing up their alternating characters.

    In an interview with “Power Players” the actors discussed how they keep from mixing up their alternating characters.

    “If you’re a teacher and you’re teaching geography from 10:00 to 11:00, but at 11:00 to 12:00, you start to teach math, you don’t get them mixed up,” McKellen said. “They’re different.”

    McKellen and Stewart have been running around NYC in bowler caps, calling themselves “Gogo” and “Didi,” their characters’ nicknames in “Waiting for Godot, enjoying local fare at Coney Island, peering out on the city from the top of the Empire State Building, and even meeting Elmo on “Sesame Street.”

    “It’s just been, for them, a time of their lives,” Stewart said.

    This is not the first time the two have acted on Broadway and they agree that the city has changed a bit.

    “In 1967, when I first came here and saw a man urinating on the statue of George M. Cohan in Times Square,” McKellen said. “Do that today and you’d be locked up in Bloomberg’s cellar, wouldn’t you?”

    “I worked in ’70, and for a three month, four month season, 41st Street, 42nd Street, Broadway, Times Square was our world. And it is almost unrecognizable now from how it was,” Stewart said.

    They love the fans in NYC and say they compare to no other.

    “The audiences are a constant — in my experience — for the last 40 years when I’ve been coming,” McKellen explained.

    “They are more enthusiastic about going out and enjoying themselves in front of a live performance than anywhere else in the world.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Air New Zealand Unveils Hobbit Paint Job

    Air New Zealand Unveils Hobbit Paint Job

    “Lord of the Rings” franchise director Peter Jackson was on hand in Auckland Monday, as Air New Zealand unveiled an image on one of its planes, of the dragon Smaug, a villain from the upcoming “The Desolation of Smaug,” the second film of the Hobbit trilogy.

    The 177-foot-long decal of the dragon was installed on both sides of a Boeing 777-300 aircraft, which left for Los Angeles for a screening of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” at the Dolby Theater. The dragon sticker was produced by Weta Digital, the New Zealand-based effects house that handled the LOTR movies.

    “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” was co-written, produced and directed by Peter Jackson, and is based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel The Hobbit. It is the second installment of a three-part film series, which began with “An Unexpected Journey” (2012), and will conclude with “There and Back Again” (2014). The Hobbit trilogy serves as a prequel to Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” film series.

    Here’s a cool time lapse of the ‘Smaug’ graphic being put into place:

    Andrew Aitken, a spokesman for Air New Zealand, said it intends to keep the decal on the plane for over a year, until the opening of the third Hobbit film – A decal was also used to celebrate the opening of the first Hobbit movie. All of the LOTR movies were produced in New Zealand, and that country has been able to use the franchise to market itself and boost tourism.

    Below is a sneak peak of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” in theaters on December 13:

    Image via Twitter.

  • J.R.R. Tolkien Biopic Film Is In The Making

    Have you ever wondered what went on in the mind of the man who created the popular Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit novels?

    There is now a film in the works that is being developed about the well-known author’s life, taking a closer look at what caused him to write the books that have become one of the most popular trilogies of all time.

    The biopic film has almost become a genre of its own in recent years with the big productions done with films such as Walk The Line, Ray and others. Now fans of his famous fantasy books will get a chance at a closer look at J.R.R. Tolkien. There is no doubt that it will be well-received after the success of his books, and the films that were adapted from them.

    The question is, who could play such an icon? There has been no casting done on the film yet, but the film is in the development stage with a script being penned by David Gleeson.

    Fox Searchlight and Peter Chernin’s Chernin Entertainment are currently working to develop the project, which would chronicle the big moments that had an impact on J.R.R. Tolkien’s life. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit in 1937, and began his Lord Of The Rings trilogy in 1954.


    J.R.R Tolkien certainly led an interesting life, and one that is worth exposing to those who are not familiar with him. Before writing his famous books, he fought in World War I, and he was a code breaker in waiting during World War II. He was also known for his friendship with C.S. Lewis, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia.

    It is surprising that such an iconic author has not been given a biopic film already, however with the reemergence of the Lord of The Rings popularity through the films, it seems that this may be the best time to do it.

    Before the J.R.R Tolkien film goes into production however, fans can get excited for the final two films that will be adapted from his books. The new hobbit film is set to come out next month, with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug due to hit theaters on December 13th. The Hobbit: There And Back Again is already set to be released on December 17th, 2014, getting fans excited over a year ahead of time.

    Image via Youtube

  • ‘LEGO Lord of the Rings’ Now on iPhone, iPad

    For the past year or so, developers and publishers have been pushing more console-like experiences to the mobile realm. Square Enix recently released the ambitious Deus Ex: The Fall and Firaxis actually managed to put the entirety of XCOM: Enemy Unknown onto mobile platforms.

    Now, Warner Bros. has jumped into mobile. The publisher today released LEGO The Lord of the Rings on iOS platforms. The game was originally released one year ago for consoles and PC.

    Though the LEGO games have all been designed with video game controllers in mind, Warner Bros. has included two different control schemes in the iOS version of the game. One is the “Classic” control scheme that mimics the console versions and the other is a “Touch Screen” scheme designed specifically for the mobile version.

    It appears that TT Games has managed to port the full LEGO Lord of the Rings experience onto an iPhone. If the move is successful, mobile gamers can probably look forward to games such as LEGO Marvel Super Heroes in the near future.

    LEGO Lord of the Rings is available now in the Apple App Store for $5. It can be played on modern iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices.

  • The Lord of the Rings Gets the Honest Trailer It Deserves

    Alright Lord of the Rings fans, it’s time to talk turkey about your beloved film series: It’s a beautifully produced, epic tale that features pretty much everything necessary to make films great, helmed by a fantasy visionary with unquestionable understanding and complete control of the source material.

    Yeah, but it’s also all of this. Really, guys, your nerdgasm has a price and that price is that people get to make fun of your nerdgasm. Enjoy the trailer for the entire Lord of the Rings saga (the honest version):

    It’s 100% accurate on all accounts, but somehow that doesn’t prevent me from loving these movies. Excited for The Hobbit, anyone?

    [ScreenJunkies]

  • Here’s What Happens When You Edit All the LEGO Lord of the Rings Cutscenes Together

    Gamers have had a few weeks (or a few days, if they’re in Europe) to enjoy the latest LEGO game. LEGO Lord of the Rings marks the second time that the series has featured voice acting (LEGO Batman 2), which gives the game a more cinematic feel. Sure, some may argue that the voice acting causes the games to lose a little bit of their odd charm, but hey – it’s Lord of the Rings. If you can’t appreciate the dialogue from those films, I’m not sure we can be friends.

    Anyway, YouTube user mario11168 decided that all of those voice-acted cutscenes would work nicely together as a film all their own. When all of the cutscenes are edited together, it forms a mesmerizing hour and a half-long movie of awesome LEGO quirkiness.

    If you have the time and are a fan of the Lord of the Rings and/or the LEGO series, it’s a must watch:

  • LEGO Lord of the Rings Launch Day and Trailer Arrive

    Military shooter fans will certainly make this week in gaming their own. Call of Duty: Black Ops II will certainly sell millions of copies and cause plenty of lost work, but those gamers who don’t go in for shooting their fellow gamers in the face with guns also have a different opportunity today. The opportunity to once again embark on one of the most enjoyable and OCD-inducing experiences to be had in games. A new LEGO video game is out.

    Today, gamers in North America get the chance to set of on Frodo’s great adventure with LEGO Lord of the Rings. The game is now out for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. European gamers can look forward to beginning their journey across Middle Earth on November 23. A demo for the PC version of the game is now available on the LEGO website, featuring the Battle of the Hornburg (also known as the Battle of Helm’s Deep).

    LEGO Lord of the Rings features the same drop-in, drop-out multiplayer gameplay that is seen in other LEGO titles. The game will also feature voice acting for all of the characters, something that the LEGO games began doing with LEGO Batman 2. The voice acting does cause the games to lose a bit of the charm in seeing characters mime historic movie moments, but seeing Gandalf rebuke the Balrog in the launch trailer below certainly holds a charm of its own.

  • “Hobbit: Unexpected Journey” Shortest Film In Series

    When Peter Jackson announced that he would be turning “The Hobbit” into three films, some fans of the Tolkien books groaned. Even though he’s well-known for his drawn-out storytelling style, some don’t think the tale of “The Hobbit” needs to be spread out over a trilogy, regardless of how gorgeous the effects are sure to be.

    But hardcore fans of the films are elated to finally have photos, a trailer, and an estimated running time for the first film, entitled “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”. At two hours and forty minutes, Jackson says–rather proudly–that it’s the shortest film in the entire series so far.

    Fans will also be happy to see familiar faces, especially that of Gandalf the Grey, played by Ian McKellen. McKellen wasn’t sure he wanted to appear in the trilogy at first, however, saying that it didn’t seem very challenging.

    “It was a little like going back to something that wasn’t necessarily going to be particularly challenging,” he said. “Gandalf is still inside me, as it were, so the business of getting to know a new character — I was sort of going to be robbed of that.”

    “The Hobbit: Unexpected Journey” is due out in theaters December 14th.

  • Watch This New LEGO Lord of the Rings Trailer

    The joining together of two incredibly fun franchises, Traveller’s Tales LEGO games and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, is making me a very happy camper. As a person who’s usually buried in an RPG or a FPS, the various LEGO games based on film series are some of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had in gaming.

    They’re lighthearted, clever, and really just a lot of fun. And the next installment, LEGO the Lord of the Rings, is set to hit the shelves this fall.

    Prior to E3, we got a look at the first trailer for the game, which showcased the new element that this one will be receiving – real dialogue from the film.

    And now, we have a new trailer from Gamecom. In it, we get some of that cheeky humor that we’re used to from these TT games. Check it out below:

    “LEGO The Lord of the Rings is based on The Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy and follows the original storylines of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Now the entire family can team up in pairs as adorable LEGO The Lord the Rings minifigures to experience countless dangers, solve riddles and battle formidable foes on their journey to Mount Doom,” says TT.

    And “You shall not pass,” having been featured prominently in both trailers, sounds just a powerful when coming from the mouth of a LEGO.

  • The Hobbit Gets Awesome Publicity Stills Via EW

    Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit will be unveiled in more detail at Comic-Con this month. But right now Entertainment Weekly has some great publicity stills and screenshots from the upcoming film. Here we see Gandalf, Bilbo, and dwarves Fill, Dill, Dori and Nori and others embarking on the original quest across Middle-earth.

    Some of these promotion stills feature Martin Freeman as a young Bilbo Baggins and Sir Iam McKellan as Gandalf the Grey. Richard Armitgae is shown as the leader of the dwarves, Thoren Oakenshield, who recruit Bilbo for the adventure.

    There are a couple of shots of the dwarves during their exploits. They trek through the mountains in one and another has them all inside escape barrels from a recognizable chapter in the book. There’s more of Gandalf back in Hobbiton, Bilbo in Milkwood Forest and three pictures showing the returning characters from the Lord of the Rings; Elrond (Hugo Weaving), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), and Gollum.

    So far it looks like everything is meticulously designed, just like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The character design of the dwarves alone will make this worth seeing.

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    [via: io9]

  • Guardians of Middle-Earth Gameplay Trailer Reveals Console MOBA Action

    Though games such as Defense of the Ancients 2 (DOTA 2) and League of Legends have become huge hits for PC gamers, but console gamers have not yet been widely exposed to the relatively new multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) genre of gaming. Warner Bros. aims to fix that oversight this fall with the release of Guardians of Middle-Earth, a MOBA for Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network. A brand new gameplay video has been released, showing what gamers can expect from the title.

    A cinematic trailer for the game hit the web just before E3 this year, featuring a Lord of the Rings character battle royale with Gandalf, Sauron, Galadriel, Gollum, and more. Fantasy fans (ironic) were instantly upset by the obvious disrespect to Lord of the Rings cannon, but their complaints were quickly drowned out by the outcry from MOBA fans that the game is simply League of Legends with Lord of the Rings characters. Both are, to some extent, correct, and it is obvious that the Lord of the Rings IP is simply being used here because it can. MOBA action was going to come to consoles sooner rather than later, and Guardians of Middle-Earth will show whether or not console gamers will embrace that style of gameplay.

    For those who are unfamiliar with the MOBA concept, it features two teams battling to destroy the enemy base. Each player gains control of one character (guardian, in the case of Guardians of Middle-Earth) that will fight and level up over the course of a match. The games are normally presented in a top-down point of view, as MOBAs were originally mods of real-time strategy games. Take a look at the gameplay trailer for Guardians of Middle-Earth below, and see what Warner Bros. envisions a console MOBA to be:

  • LEGO Lord of the Rings Trailer: YOU SHALL NOT PASS

    Last month, a premature listing on a UK retailer’s website and the announcement of a line of themed toys tipped us to the fact that a Lego Lord of the Rings game was in the pipeline. We expected the unveiling to take place some time around E3 – and it appears that has come to pass.

    Today, game was confirmed with the launch of the first trailer – and I must say it looks great.

    Of course, fans of the previous Lego games and fans of Tolkein or the epic film trilogy already knew that we had a winner on our hands. We’ve already seen what developer Traveller’s Tales can do with epic storylines – their Lego Harry Potter games were a load of fun. The Lord of the Rings provides another (possibly more) intense and thorough journey that will surely fit the sometimes comical, laid back tone of the Lego franchise quite well.

    Ok, I’m probably a little too excited about this. But check out the trailer and maybe you’ll be just as thrilled as I am:

    I’m sure you noticed that our little Lego version of Gandalf and Frodo have been given dialogue straight from the films – something new to the Lego series. Other than that, we can expect the same cooperative play and puzzle solving that has made the previous Lego games such big hits:

    LEGO The Lord of the Rings is based on The Lord of the Rings motion picture trilogy and follows the original storylines of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Now the entire family can team up in pairs as adorable LEGO The Lord the Rings minifigures to experience countless dangers, solve riddles and battle formidable foes on their journey to Mount Doom.

    “We are huge aficionados of The Lord of the Rings franchise and are incredibly excited to put our special LEGO family-friendly touch on this classic fantasy adventure,” said Tom Stone, managing director, TT Games. “We’ve taken what fans are familiar with and love about The Lord of the Rings films and combined it with the playful LEGO style, which makes the story and gameplay accessible to gamers of all ages.”

    The game will hit shelves this fall, and hopefully we’ll see more at E3 next week.

  • Guardians of Middle Earth Trailer Revealed

    The E3 teasers just keep coming. It’s hard to follow the news of LucasArts’ new game, Star War 1313, but Warner Bros. is trying its best and has released a trailer for Lord of the Rings: Guardians of Middle Earth. The trailer doesn’t show off any gameplay, unfortunately. In fact, the trailer doesn’t seem to be anything other than eye-candy wrapped in Lord of the Rings fan fiction. Take a look at the action-packed trailer below and see for yourself what I mean.

    Before you watch the trailer, though, there are some things you should know about the game. Warner Bros. announced the game yesterday, stating that it is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game. This means the game will play much like the popular Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) games. Players will take on the role of a “guardian” from the Lord of the Rings universe and battle against opponents over Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Gandalf, Sauron, and Gollum are some of the “guardians” that players can embody, and the trailer makes it look as if Galadriel will be among the ranks as well.

    Now, this isn’t the most tactful use of the Lord of the Rings IP, and the YouTube comments accompanying the video are vicious. However, most of the commenters don’t seem to realize that the game is a DOTA-like multiplayer game, and are simply berating the trailer for breaking Lord of the Rings continuity. YouTube user KevRocky reviews the trailer on its own merits, though, and correctly points out the problem with nearly all cinematic game trailers:

    Am I the only one who yawned at this trailer? It’s full of Michael Bayism. No heart, no soul, just a bunch of cgi dudes smashing each other’s heads in with pretty effects, that would have been acceptable if they didn’t overuse the slowdowns. It’s as if they had to stretch out the time. Terrible.

    Lord of the Rings: Guardians of Middle-Earth will be released this fall, with several “guardians” to be released in conjunction with The Hobbit film.

  • Lord of the Rings DOTA-Type Game Announced

    Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment officially announced this week that it will be releasing a new multiplayer online “battle arena” (MOBA) game based on the Lord of the Rings franchise. The game is called Guardians of Middle-Earth, and it will be released on the Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network sometime this fall.

    MOBA is a term some companies use to refer to games based on the gameplay of Defense of the Ancients (DOTA). The games are a variation of real-time strategy games in which players control a single heroic character.

    “The MOBA genre is wildly popular with PC players and we are excited to bring it to consoles through the lore of Middle-earth,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President of Production and Development at Warner Bros. “The heroes and villains of Middle-earth are crafted in a way that perfectly intersects with MOBA game features, allowing the development team to create guardians with deep skills and abilities for gamers to master.”

    The game will pit teams of 5 players against each other in arenas set within Middle-Earth. Some of the more than 20 “guardians” players will be able to use include Gandalf, Sauron, and Gollum. Warner Bros. stated that the game will tie-in to the upcoming the upcoming movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Several new playable “guardians” will be released in conjunction with the film.