The Greatest Fantasy Saga of All Time Returns With New The Lord of the Rings Release on November 6

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The Fellowship of the Ring by Johan Egerkrans

Published Mar 20, 2026, 12:51 PM EDT

Makuochi Echebiri is a News Writer for Collider. He has been interested in creative writing from as far back as high school, and he would consume pretty much anything that’s film or TV. However, his truest love lies in the presence of historical epics and thrillers.

Lured by the brilliance of Middle Earth from an early age both in print and on screen, his palate has since expanded to other realms including Westeros, Kattegat among others. He also possesses a great appetite for the stories that emanate from the vastness of space. Even though he is no Avenger.

Obsessed with storytelling and having works of his own that have yet to make it to print, he is content to use that ability to communicate to as many as are reachable. In his spare time, he looks out for avenues where he can aid people aside from his plans to reign over this earthly realm. Yes…you heard that first here.

Great things can emerge from small, humble beginnings. This has been proven true in life, as it was with the 1954 release of J.R.R. Tolkien's exceptional masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. From those iconic pages, a franchise and lore has been born, one that has continued to endure for over seventy years. In that time, the multiple Ages within Tolkien's work have been explored in various forms. With animated movies, books, a beloved trilogy, video games, and even a television series. It is simply a gift that keeps on giving, with a series of stories that continually expand the Middle-earth lore.

Despite the passage of half a century, the influence and lure of Tolkien's world has not diminished. While Peter Jackson's famed trilogy was developed in the early 2000s, it is still regarded as one of the greatest trilogies ever produced on screen, the apex of cinematic fantasy. The exploration of the lore has also deepened in recent times as well, with the Warner Bros. anime prequel, War of the Rohirrim), and Prime Video's megabucks series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which premiered in 2022. The ongoing big-budget series explores the Second Age of Middle-earth, the creation of the Rings of Power, and the rise of Sauron to power.

Now, in 2026, as we look forward to further expansion of the universe with Andy Serkis' latest installment of the big-screen Lord of the Rings franchise, The Hunt for Gollum, and the third season of Rings of Power, another epic RPG is set to launch this year for fans of The Lord of the Rings, and it's one to be excited about. The Lord of the Rings: Circle of Conflict is set to arrive later this year, a tabletop, strategic dice game for 2–4 players that allows participants to join the war for the One Ring and determine who holds dominion over it. Set during the Third Age of Middle-earth, the same timeline as Jackson's trilogy, Circle of Conflict will see players go head-to-head with their neighbors, commanding both the armies of The Shadow and The Free Peoples, with the One Ring as the ultimate prize.

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Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings Trilogy Is a Masterpiece

As mentioned earlier, Jackson's trilogy is highly regarded, and one of its most enduring compliments is that despite the passage of time and technological advancement, the story's appeal and power haven’t diminished. Collider's review of the 4K release of the films stated the same, rating The Lord of the Rings trilogy as a once-in-a-generation achievement in filmmaking.

"Watching Lord of the Rings, it’s a unique tapestry where every element works and never apologizes for its existence. These are not deep-cut movies where you need to know every single thing about the blood of Númenor, but you do have to keep up to understand the various lineages, factions, and mythology at play, but because Jackson so clearly believes in this Middle-earth, we believe in it as well. Yes, in its broad strokes it’s a story about good triumphing over evil, but at a granular level we see the sacrifices involved in what it takes to defeat evil. These movies work on a macro and micro level."

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is streaming now on HBO Max and Prime Video.