Stephen Colbert will host a trio of cinema-only Lord of the Rings cast reunions as part of Alamo Drafthouse’s free series to encourage moviegoers to return to their local independent theaters following a year ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Colbert — an enormous Tolkien fan who can (and has, on his Late Show) recite entire passages from the novels — will first sit down with Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan to discuss the The Fellowship of the Ring, the first film in the trilogy, for an event showing on March 25th at whatever local cinemas opt to host the free event. (The events will be filmed beforehand and screened at said theaters.)
Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, and Liv Tyler will next chat about The Two Towers with Colbert for an event screening on April 1st, followed by director Peter Jackson, Ian McKellen, and Andy Serkis reminiscing about The Return of the King for an April 8th showing.
Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in the trilogy, also helped corral all his co-stars for the reunions. “One of the experiences I miss most during this last year, beyond getting to hug my friends and travel, is sitting in a dark movie theater eagerly anticipating a new cinematic experience,” Wood said in a statement.
“When Tim [League, Alamo Drafthouse Founder and Executive Chairman] reached out with the idea that we could band together to bring some much-needed support to independent theaters across the globe, I jumped at the chance to help.”
The LOTR reunion is the first in a series of “Support Local Cinemas” bonuses — cast reunions, commentaries, interviews, etc. — that Alamo Drafthouse will produce and distribute to fellow indie theaters for free in an effort to welcome film lovers back to the movies.
“We are extremely confident that post-Covid, the pent-up demand for the magic of moviegoing will be very strong and the industry will return and flourish,” League said in a statement. “In the meantime, we’re grateful to Peter Jackson, the gracious participating cast members, and Stephen Colbert for participating in these very special events and letting fans experience these incredible films on the big screen in safe, open theaters.”
At Alamo Drafthouse theaters nationwide, the LOTR reunions will be tied to screenings of new 4K prints of the trilogy. Check out the Alamo Drafthouse site for more information as well as safety protocols.
