All 3 The Lord of the Rings Movies Are Returning to Theaters in Extended Edition Form, So Prepare Yourself for Hours — and Hours — of Middle-Earth Fun All Over Again

The Lord of the Rings movies are coming backmost to theaters adjacent twelvemonth to observe the 25th day of The Fellowship of the Ring — but beryllium prepared to strap yourself successful for the agelong haul, arsenic they’re each the Extended Editions.

Fathom Entertainment volition merchandise each 3 Extended Editions from Peter Jackson’s trilogy successful DBOX presumption from January 16-18, past successful modular formats from January 23-25, successful theaters nationwide arsenic portion of a two-weekend event.

Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies are agelong capable successful modular form, but the Extended Editions are epics. The Return of the Kind Extended Edition, for example, is astir four-and-a-half hours agelong including credits.

Perhaps wisely, Fathom is staggering the merchandise of the movies crossed each play period, truthful you can’t ticker each 3 Extended Editions back-to-back. That mightiness beryllium for the best, since doing truthful would instrumentality you astir 12 hours!

Fathom volition re-release The Lord of the Rings movies successful a two-weekend event. Image credit: Fathom Entertainment.

The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition runtimes:

• The Fellowship of the Ring: 3 hours and 48 minutes (228 minutes)
• The Two Towers: 3 hours and 55 minutes (235 minutes)
• The Return of the King: 4 hours and 23 minutes (263 minutes)

There’s merch, too, to spell on with this re-release. AMC theaters volition person a popcorn bucket with a representation of Middle-earth, and Regal volition person a popcorn bucket with a One Ring design, Variety reported.

Of course, Warner Bros., which is successful the process of being acquired by Netflix, is gearing up to merchandise a marque caller The Lord of the Rings movie successful 2027. The Hunt for Gollum is acceptable to chronicle a play betwixt the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings wherever galore characters are searching for the all-important Ring, antecedently known to beryllium successful Gollum's possession.

Gandalf is known to beryllium searching for clues arsenic to Gollum's whereabouts, and adjacent enlists the assistance of Fellowship subordinate Aragorn. Both are attempting to bushed the agents of Sauron to discovering the Ring's determination — thing glimpsed concisely successful The Fellowship of the Ring, wherever the words "Baggins" and "Shire" are extracted from Gollum via torture successful Mordor.

It has present been much than 20 years since audiences archetypal saw the much-loved Fellowship characters sail disconnected from the Grey Havens astatine the extremity of Return of the King. With Hunt for Gollum acceptable respective years anterior to this, it remains to beryllium seen whether immoderate signifier of integer de-aging volition beryllium utilized arsenic older actors reprise their roles. Indeed, Legolas histrion Orlando Bloom has antecedently expressed involvement successful besides returning, though suggested "AI would person to travel into play."

To date, lone Gollum histrion Andy Serkis, who is directing The Hunt for Gollum, himself has confirmed helium volition look successful the film, though Aragorn histrion Viggo Mortensen has said helium is besides unfastened to returning, and it precise overmuch sounds similar Elijah Wood volition reprise his relation arsenic Frodo. The Hunt for Gollum is owed to statesman filming successful New Zealand adjacent year, up of its merchandise connected December 17, 2027.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].