TV presenter Stephen Colbert will be reuniting cast members of the Lord of the Rings saga, in three special editions of post-screen conversations.
Starting on 25 March 2021 and continuing over a three-week period, the Late Night Show host will oversee gatherings of various Lord of the Rings actors. These will include Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, and Liv Tyler. The cast members will discuss their time on set, and answer questions from Twitter under the hashtag #LOTR20. Director Peter Jackson, who supervised the recent 4K remasters of the original trilogy, will also take part in the event alongside actors Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis.
The three post-screening conversations will be following a Lord of the Rings marathon launched by Texas-based company Alamo Drafthouse. The program will be aired by the cinema chain, which will then share the screenings to any other theatres willing to participate. As part of Alamo Drafthouse’s “Support Local Cinemas” campaign, this initiative encourages fans to visit their local independent cinemas, albeit allowing for any social distancing restrictions.
COVID-19 has had the same devastating impact across the arts sector, leaving venues helpless in the face of sudden closures and potential bankruptcy. In a statement to Forbes, founder and executive chairman Tim League said, “Because of the increase in vaccination availability, a very exciting slate of new releases, and pent-up audience demand, we’re extremely confident that by the end of 2021, the cinema industry—and our theatres specifically—will be thriving”.
This statement came after Alamo Drafthouse filed for bankruptcy last Wednesday. All around the globe, museums and cinemas have had to shut down due to the current pandemic. The incomparable cinematic experience is one of many luxuries that people had to forgo last year, and a longing for it is likely to resonate now more than ever as the one-year anniversary of the UK’s first lockdown approaches.
Instead, streaming services such as Netflix, HBO Max and Disney+ have grown in popularity, becoming for many the only option for entertainment under lockdown. As various countries slowly start their vaccine rollouts, those still confined to their homes are left isolated, thus requiring entertainment companies to increase their services’ quality and creativity to meet a growing demand for distraction in difficult times.
This year, then, the Lord of the Rings fellowship is embarking on its greatest quest ever: bringing back together most of the cast of the legendary trilogy, to lift spirits and restore faith in the arts world.
The program and tickets for the event are available at https://drafthouse.com/movies/lord-of-the-rings-with-reunion-q-a.
Words by Lena Brosselin
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