Summary: It was considered a risky move. New Line Cinemas put up the money for not just one, but three Lord of the Rings movies. All three were filmed simultaneously in a single fourteen month shoot in New Zealand, directed by Peter Jackson, a proven director but not one with a blockbuster history. If the films had not been successful it was likely New Line would have gone under. Yet the gamble paid off! The first film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was a massive hit that not only minted that first trilogy but would also lead to a second Middle Earth film trilogy adapting J.R.R. Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit. Is that first Lord of the Rings film as good as its reputation, and can any movie do justice to Tolkien's original prose? Make a pledge and support Now Playing to listen and find out!
