This is a very heavy RUMOR! Of all the people I've spoken to time to time Sean Connery's name seems to pop up.

I've seen him here, I've seen him there.

But now, this

From: Keef & Kaz

My wifes boss was on the set on Tuesday night. The set is not ready for filming to begin, so they are starting the shoot in the south Island. While she was on the set she met Sean Connery, who is apparently the narrator. he is leaving new zealand today. The set location is being kept secret and all road signs in the area have been removed so people cant find the place. thats about all I have for now.

When I asked if he was sure it was Connery:

Thats what my wifes boss told us. They/he/she met him and had quiet a conversation with him.

Could this be true? Sean as narrator? It is to be noted that TheOnering.net did place a call a while back and was told that Sean is not involved with this film at all. Could things have changed?

The latest issue of Empire Magazine (124) has a 2 page layout about LOTR.

While some information is wrong (Tim Spall. Sean Connery and Jude Law have NOT been cast) the information is generally accurate and thourough. Read on:

Late last year, Heavenly Creatures director Peter Jackson declared he was finally giving up on his long planned King Kong remake. Instead he would concentrate on a personal project that set the Internet Buzzing - live-action three-part adaptation of JRR Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings. Since the news broke, chat rooms and web sites have been deluged by thousands of posts from sci-fi and fantasy fans speculating as to how the New Zealand helmer would deal with the epic series.

Tolkien's three novels - FOTR, TTT, ROTK - were published 1954-55 and first made into a single underachieving feature-length cartoon by Fritz The Cat creator Ralph Bakshi in 1978. Since then the classic tomes have long been considered too complex, too grand and too expensive to attempt in live-action form.

There's also the novels' huge and fanatical following around the globe - fans who are easily piqued and liable to revolt if they feel the history of Frodo Baggins, Sam, Gandalf and friends aren't getting the lavish treatment they deserve. Perhaps filming a giant ape climbing up a skyscraper would have been a safer option.

To read the rest of the article, go out and buy the latest copy of Empire Magazine today!

Ian Mckellen has responded to a few more emails. Check this one out:

Hey there. I sent this email to Sir McKellen, and this is the reply he sent. Interesitng to know that he won't be there until early next year.

Sir Ian McKellen,

I just wanted to wish you the best in your upcoming adventure as Gandalf in LOTR. I think you will do a great job. How long will it be before you get down to NZ and start filming with Peter Jackson? Anyway, I look forward to seeing you on the screen from Middle Earth.

Peter

dear peter

i will start in new zealand early january 2000 - more news in Grey Book on www.mckellen.com

best wishes ian mckellen

Thanks to Peter for the news!

Ethelion's full report from Oxenmoot, including his expierence at the gravesite of JRR Tolkien himself.

Read the full report here.

Since Sierra's decision to 'revamp' MEO and KILL ORCS: Revenge of the Ancients. Websites have been popping up all over the place trying to save them.

One of the better ones is called MEO voice. Check it out.

Thanks to the great work from our in-house artist Mia, Book 2 in the continuing 'Xoanon Rants' opens with some great depictions of 'The Hall of Fire'. Check it out, along with my latest Rant.

Click here to read the Rant!

Calling all you NZers! Seeper just dropped me a line saying that there is a casting call on Sunday in Queenstown.

If you live around that area and are planning on going, drop us a line. And bring your camera!

Updated

Another bit of info from Seeper: Apparently the extras casting in Queenstown is an invite only thing, they are taking the people they had selected from previous files for a final review... it's strange as the guy on the radio gave details on what you had to wear etc yesterday but the people at 3 foot 6 limited did not advertise it at all...

Xoanon here,

Another case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing I guess. Just a few days ago TheOneRing.net reported to you that Cate Blanchett's UK rep had heard nothing about Cate being up for Galadriel. Then a few moments ago I recieved a phone call from Cate's Aussie agent and she had this to say.

'They are in talks, nothing has progressed beyond that'

Her agent also told me that Cate has been in the Paris area filming a movie (calling all you French Ringers!) and that they have not been in contact for a short while.

Well, I guess you don't have to remove Cate from your cast list after all! Let's see what transpires!

Marlow has resurfaced with his answers to your questions!

Marlow was commissioned back in '93 to write a treatment for LOTR. The original project died, but has now become PJ's dream we all know and love!

Click here to read his answers for Round 2.

Ready for Round 3? Click here to send a question!

Ecthelion has checked in with his review of Oxenmoot. Oxenmoot is a yearly meeting by the Tolkien society (U.K.). It was held in Oxford at professor Tolkiens old college Exeter.

The full report will be up shortly, but here is a small snippet for your salivating pleaseure!

At 12 miss Priscilla Tolkien had a reception, with food and drink,in the main hall. This is of course very much appriciated since it gives everyone a chance to greet the proffesors lovely and indeed very hospitable daughter. In the afternoon it continued with a concert by the "Tolkien Ensemble" from Denmark who performed work from their new cd: A Night in Rivendell. If you do like this kind of music i can really recomend it! From there on it was varius forums, slideshows and workshops.

But if non of these things interests you, one is free to visit all (well not really all) the pubs you want or just take a tour of the really wonderful town of Oxford. From eight o clock the college pub opened and the main hall opened for a really Tolkienesque evening. There were music, singing and reading but most of all there was the costume-contest in which all sorts of costumes were entered. But as allways after making the pub-staff work for their money they closed. So we had to organize some after parties to keep up the good work.

It started 10 minutes late, but it started. For those deluded few who thought I knew all, this just goes to prove I can't predict the weather or Chicago traffic. So my appologies to everyone who showed up promptly only to have to wait. And my super huge appologies to all those Chicago drivers who got cut off by the Honda with the "I brake for Hobbits" bumpersticker, I was in a big hurry ;)

So for all of you who are itching to prove how knowledgable you are at Tolkien Trivia, head over to the Barliman's Tolkien Trivia Test and give it a whirl. It should put you in the right frame of mind for the upcoming Tolkien Brain Bender contest.

So give it your best shot, I am sure there will be some fierce competition.

Xoanon here,

This is upsetting news, but the casting of Blanchett is not official. And as far as her UK agent, it is 'News to her'.

While this in no way means that this is a false rumor, I think we could call her casting as Galadriel a little 'hasty'. Her agent did say however that it could be very possible that things can change in the next few weeks. More to come

Xoanon here,

Well folks, it seems that everyone's dream for Terence Stamp to play a baddie in LOTR is untrue. TheOneRing.net placed a call asking if Stamp had been cast we received a hard line

'Absolutely not'

When asked if he was even a contender

'Not that I know of, I mean they did this with (Tim) Spall as well, it's untrue'

(Tim Spall was once heavily rumored to play Gimli the Dwarf, a role now taken up by John Rhys-Davies). So that's it straight from the best source possible.

Just a reminder the Barliman's Tolkien Trivia Contest begins at 8PM EST tonight. For more details on the contest and the prizes you can read about it here.

Greetings, Quickbeam here.

"No rest for the wicked," they say, and no rest for us at the Green Books! Reader response has been remarkable. Indeed, our premiere Stump the Staff item stirred up a lot of feedback. Recall the perplexing riddle of Gandalf's note: "Do Not Use It Again"? Well, some of your alternate answers were quite compelling; see the updates here.

Over in Questions & Answers, I have learned my lesson about being too hasty... and nobody is going to let me get away with an incomplete answer! We have posted some great follow-up here.

Also: fresh from the inkwells of YOU, the Fans, we have over a dozen new poems & stories in "Moon Letters." We have a broad international audience here at TheOneRing.net™, as evidenced by the myriad submissions we receive from around the world.

Check out an extraordinary piece by Eledhwen, "Master Samwise's Last Journey" and enjoy a "Guided Tour" of famous battlefields with Salvador Busquets (tip of the hat to Sal for his work, especially since English is NOT his first language!). Follow the ongoing adventures of Gasgaroth the Smithee in our serial, "The Dead Ringer Cometh" see Chapter III here.

Lastly, I'm thrilled that my kindred spirit, Mia, is now contributing her terrific illustrations to TheOneRing.net™! Her work is whimsical and lovely; you can see her stuff in the Fan Art Section here. And check out the *whacky* Gandalf Coin Bank she drew for me! Maybe one day I can make her my Entwife (oops, did I let that slip?).

Much too hasty,

Quickbeam

P.S. You'd better pull out all your old Tolkien volumes for the upcoming Brain Bender Contest! It's going to be super-tough, I promise, but the prizes are excellent. :-)

Check out the second round of questions with Marlow in our interview section. Marlow answers your questions on the 1993 LOTR writing sessions.

We have lots of new fan art for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks to Salvador Busquets and Barliman's Chatroom for this weeks poll! It sure had me thinking. (which can be a bad thing sometimes!) Don't forget our TheOneRing.net™ section! It has links, contests, and lots of info that some of you might not have known existed!

have a great week everyone!

$Galadriel\?$ $Galadriel\?$

Rumor has it that Uma is being looked over for Eowyn and not Galadriel as everyone thought. A ringer spy sent me this email correspondence he had with Michael Deluca, read on:

Dear Mr. DeLuca,

I know how busy you are, and how you've probably already gotten many e-mails on this subject but if you have even a second to send me any kind of response it would be infinately appreciated :)

As the subject says, I am e-mailing you about Uma for Galadriel and Ethan for Faramir.

Thanks for the support. We're actually considering Uma for Eowyn, not Galadriel, but we don't know if she'll do it yet. We're trying to get Cate Blanchett for Galadriel.

The Emailiac strikes again! Could this news be true? We shall see...

more news to come!

Yes, Gillian has confirmed to me that Wednesday, October 6th at 7 pm et will be the chat with her!

Gillian is a reporter with Entertainment Weekly and an avid LOTR fan. Ask her your media and internet questions!

October 6, 7 pm et at Barliman's, be there!

Who's going to be playing the LOTR soundtrack? The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra might be putting some effort into getting that gig.
They were in town last night and I talked to some of the players. They said they recorded a half-hour demo soundtrack which was given to some Hollywood execs to take away and listen to.
"Whose music did you play?" I asked.
"Some guy from the States who's settled in Christchurch."
"Nah, Queenstown" said another player.
"Who, who who who who?" I said
"Carlin, I think" said one of the players. "He wants to do the LOTR soundtrack."
"So, what was the music like?"
The general impression wasn't too enthusiastic.
Oh well. I've never heard of the guy, so I've got no opinion. Maybe the orchestra will get a gig out of it, even if the composer doesn't.

The cool dudes over at CHUD (www.CHUD.com) have part 4 of their 'Why LOTR will Rock' essay online. Check it out!

TheOneRing.net placed a call to find if there was any truth to the Mira Sorvino as Eowyn/Arwen thing.

To my surprise Mira was approached by PJ and company, but that's as far as things got. According to my contact:

'They talked, that's it'

So does this mean she's out? or in? Who knows...

From 'Filmunlimited -UK'

The appearance of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy has been confirmed, according to a Film Unlimited source.

The husband and wife team are to be introduced at the end of the first film, The Fellowship of the Ring, and will assume lead roles in the second, The Return of the King, which is being shot immediately afterwards. It will be the first time they've worked together since marrying in May 1998, and they will be the Middle Earth trilogy's highest-profile stars.

The same source suggests that Terence Stamp - most recently seen as Chancellor Valorum in The Phantom Menace - is soon to be announced as a late addition to the Lord of the Rings company. No news on which part Stamp will occupy, although it's thought to be nasty, not cuddly.

It is to be noted that TheOneRing.net did place another call to Ethan's camp yesterday, the word then was 'unconfirmed'.

More coming soon!

With all the latest Tolkien related merchandise let downs, questions began to rise weither ToyVault (www.toyvault.com) were the latest to fall under the dark spell.

Fans of the action figue collection can rest easy. TheOneRing.net placed a call to Jon Huston - creative director at ToyVault.

Jon assures me that all is well with ToyVault. Things are running according to plan.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Jon, check out the interview here.

Frequent emailer Resevoir Dog, has sent me in a pic from The Hobbit Stage Play going on down under. RD recommends anyone who can get down there, to go and check it out!

Take a looksee of the Pic at the Spy Reports.

Well, feeling let down that this week there was no Live Chat? Well hope is on the horizon! Next weeks chat guest will be Entertainment Weekly reporter Gillian Flynn.

Gillian recently wrote a great article about LOTR and internet fandom. She blew people away with her enthusiasm and knowledge of Tolkien lore! So I asked her to come on over to Barliman's to chat. The time and the date are yet to be determined, but it will be the week of October 4th.

Here is the photo from the article and the first two paragraphs. Check it out and join us to ask Gillian your Tolkien, media, movie questions!

Tolkien fans hit the Web over Lord of the Rings movies-two years early

First of all, Frodo is the coolest, and Elijah Wood is the best-the best-to play him. Second, if Christopher Lee doesn't rule as Saruman, I will not see the movie. Third, they won't get any big actresses-the women's roles are too small. Eeeil Meej cen el Kate Winslet. That's Elvish for "I totally love Kate Winslet." Who won't be in the movie. Which kills me.

There's talk on the Internet, lots of talk, about the trio of live-action Lord of the Rings films, which director Peter Jackson (Heavenly Creatures, The Frighteners) is filming back-to-back-to-back over the next 18 months for New Line Cinema. Now some facts: There are several hundred websites devoted to J.R.R. Tolkien's literary masterpieces.

Already half a dozen Ring hubs are scuffling to be the top providers of scoop on the films. And in May, New Line launched its official www.lordoftherings.net -thought to be the earliest film-site debut ever-as the tip of a savvy online marketing plan for the movies.

Nona, head of the Official Sean Bean site has told me that her contacts have confirmed Sean Bean for the role of Boromir.

TheOneRing.net brought you this news a few weeks ago, apparently from the same source. But now all doubts (if any) can now melt away.

This is the type of news that makes it on a slow news day folks!

Not feeling very apreciated as a LOTR fan? Go here and vote your opinion.

A small note to the folks who wish me to setup a petition or want me to give you the number to Sierra or something to get the game back on. This I will never do. These types of things rarely ever work and tend to do more harm than good.

All I can tell you is this quote from my New Line contact.

'When New Line starts it's media machine there will be enough LOTR stuff around'

Picture this: millions of Nazguls at Toys 'R' Us, Pizza Hut tie ins, video games, toys, clothes, food, trailers, posters, clips, web sites, covers of magazines...the future is coming folks, don't let the events of the past few days fool you.