CBR

The Lord of the Rings

Read up on the latest The Lord of the Rings franchise News, Reviews and Features from the team at CBR.

Where to stream The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring online.
Fodo, Sam, Gollum, Aragorn, Gandalf, Eowyn, and Arwen on The Lord of the Rings Franchise Poster
The Lord of the Rings

Created by
J.R.R. Tolkien
First Film
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Latest Film
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
First Episode Air Date
September 1, 2022

Summary

The Lord of the Rings is a long-running fantasy franchise created by J.R.R. Tolkien. The core series consists of four primary books: The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, the Two Towers, and The Return of the King, all of which have been adapted into films. The Lord of the Rings core franchise centers around Frodo Baggins, a living being known as a hobbit, and a group of heroes from the various kingdoms such as the kingdom of man, the kingdom of dwarves, and the kingdom of elves. Together with the great wizard Gandalf, the group will embark on a perilous quest across Middle Earth to take The One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it, before it can corrupt anyone and return to the hands of the evil entity known as Sauron, hellbent on conquering all of Middle Earth. The original novel/prequel films, The Hobbit, stars Frodo's uncle Bilbo Baggins as he embarks on a quest from the comfort of his home and seeks the treasure of a dragon known as Smaug. Bilbo stumbles upon The One Ring on his quest, and finds himself amidst a great war. The most recent media for the franchise is the currently airing The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, airing exclusively on Prime Video.

latest

Custom Image of Frodo reaching for the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings
Frodo Couldn’t Have Survived the Journey to Mordor By Himself

While Frodo is the one who destroyed the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings, the brave hobbit couldn't have completed this task without help.

By 
Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in various scenes from The Lord of the Rings
The Best Aragorn Quotes From The Lord of the Rings

A strong and loyal character, Aragorn was one of the most courageous in The Lord of the Rings, and some of his best quotes prove it.

By  and
Lord of the Rings Orcs and Dwarves
Moria Was Not the Only Dwarven Land That Orcs Desecrated in The Lord of the Rings

Thousands of years before the Orcs infested Moria in The Lord of the Rings, they conquered Mount Gundabad, an ancient holy site for the Dwarves.

By 
Gandalf in Front of Balrog
How Did Gandalf Return In Lord Of The Rings - And Who Resurrected Him?

After fighting the Balrog in The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf the Grey succumbed to his wounds and died, so who resurrected the wizard and why?

Denethor and Gondor Emblem LOTR
The Lord of the Rings Films Massively Downplayed a Major Villain From the Book

Denethor was one of the most despicable characters in The Return of the King, but the film did not explore his full story from Tolkien's novel.

By 
Aragorn from all three The Lord of the Rings films in front of multicolored images of Minas Tirith
The Lord of the Rings Made Aragorn's Arc Even Better With a Subtle Trick Most Fans Missed

Aragorn wore three main costumes in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and each showcased important facets of his evolving character.

By 
2:01
Everything We Know About The Lord of the Rings- The War of Rohirrim
Everything We Know About The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an upcoming highly-anticipated project in the LOTR franchise. Here's everything to know about it.

By  and
Thorin and the Dwarves
What Caused Thorin's Dragon-sickness in The Hobbit?

Dragon-sickness played a small part in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit novel, but in the Peter Jackson's films, it was key to Thorin's character arc.

By 
Green and yellow images of the Rangers of the South from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Who Were the Rangers of the South in The Lord of the Rings?

In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Faramir led the Rangers of the South, an elite group of soldiers with a crucial and secretive mission.

By 
Three-way split image of Arwen, Galadriel, and Legolas in Lord of the Rings
Why No Elven Children Appear in The Lord of the Rings

Elves and Elf kingdoms are seen all throughout The Lord of the Rings, but where are all the Elven children? Tolkien had an interesting answer.

By  , , and
Elves of Lord of the Rings
Could Elves See the Future in The Lord of the Rings?

Some Elves in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings possessed the gift of foresight, one of Middle-earth's strangest and most powerful abilities.

By 
Split Images of Gimli
10 Times Gimli Proved He Was the Heart of the Fellowship, Ranked

The Lord of the Rings' Gimli was always the most fiery member of the Fellowship. But it was clear early on that he would be its heart.

By 
Barliman Butterbur in front of Barad-dur and Mount Doom from The Lord of the Rings
How an Innkeeper Almost Doomed Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings

Barliman Butterbur played a small role in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films, but in the novel, his mistake nearly cost Frodo his life.

By 
1:31
The Lord of the Rings' Sauron and Saruman
What Happened to Sauron and Saruman After The Lord of the Rings?

Sauron and Saruman from The Lord of the Rings were immortal beings known as Maiar, so what happened to their spirits after their bodies died?

By 
2:10
Bilbo and the Blue Wizards
Lord of the Rings' Funniest Scene Was a Legal Loophole

The Hobbit had a ton of funny scenes, but there was a legal aspect that made one of Gandalf's conversations with Bilbo absolutely hilarious.

Gothmog, Lurtz and a Moria Orc from The Lord of the Rings
There Were Three Main Factions of Orcs in The Lord of the Rings -- And They Hated Each Other

In The Lord of the Rings, the Orcs from Mordor, the Misty Mountains and Isengard competed with one another, which contributed to their downfall.

By 
Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
10 Best Scenes in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Return of the King, regarded by many as the best Lord of the Rings film, is full of incredible scenes, but some truly stand out among the rest.

By 
Split Images of Idris Elba, Johnny Depp, and Keanu Reeves
10 Best Actors in the Fantasy Genre, Ranked

Jennifer Lawrence, Christopher Lee, Laurence Fishburne, and Johnny Depp are but a few of the best actors to appear in the fantasy genre.

By 
2:09
Christopher Tolkien Overlooking Frodo and Bilbo
How a Tolkien Error Created One of Lord of the Rings' Most Powerful Elves

Sometimes mistakes are for the best. That's what happened when Tolkien reused a Lord of The Rings name and accidentally created a super-powered Elf.

By  and
Lord of the Rings Frodo header
What Was the Old Forest in The Lord of the Rings?

Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy cut one of Frodo's earliest adventures from the novel: a journey through the mysterious Old Forest.

By 
See more articles +