‘Rings of Power’ Used 20 VFX Studios, Nearly 10,000 VFX Shots to Revive Middle-earth (EXCLUSIVE)

movie be in the works? It seems to be a very groovy possibility.Mike Myers walked the carpet at the premiere of his new film,, at Alice Tully Hall in New York City on Sunday, and he teased the idea while speaking with ET's Rachel Smith.«I don't know,» a coy Myers said, with a smile when asked about fan speculation over a possible new installment in the beloved comedy franchise. «I'm gonna put a big, firm, written maybe on that.»Myers previously addressed the rumors of a new installment all the way back in February 2019 — before the many pandemic-related shutdowns --  while speaking with ET, and he jokingly said, «I can neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of such a program should they exist or not exist.»When pressed, the actor added, “It’s likely to be from Dr.

Variety, producers confirmed the use of the ring shapes in the opening sequences: ‘We have the nine for men, the seven for the dwarves, the three rings for the elves, and a single ring. All those combinations are through there, and they’re at the beginning and end. We start with those, and they are building other things, and then we end with them.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer SPOILER ALERT: This story includes plot points in Episode 4 of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, as well as one major story development written by author J.R.R. Tolkien in the appendices of “The Lord of the Rings.” Like so many of her castmates of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” Cynthia Addai-Robinson didn’t know exactly who she was playing until she arrived in New Zealand to shoot the Amazon Prime Video series. Unlike several of her castmates, however, Addai-Robinson was not an obsessive fan of the expansive world of Middle-earth created by author J.R.R. Tolkien. But once she was cast as Míriel, the Queen Regent of the resplendently prosperous island nation of Númenor, the veteran actor (“Power,” “Shooter,” “Arrow,” “Spartacus”) dove in head first into the rich history of Númenor and Middle-earth.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor There has never been a better time to be a VFX vendor. With so much content coming from streaming, high-quality television, feature films and commercials, the demand for visual effects and VFXartists continues to grow. Santa Monica-based visual effects studio Luma Pictures, which celebrates its 20-year anniversary this month, has seen an increase in everything from creature effects to animation to set extensions to full sequences. To keep up with all the additional work, Luma expanded to Vancouver in January, after establishing an office in Melbourne in 2012 to take advantage of the emerging market there. A staff of more than 200 works for the company across all three locations, providing effects for a client list that includes Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Disney and Warner Bros., and films such as “Elvis,” “Dr. Strange 2” and “OnceUpon a Time in Hollywood.”

Cardi B is helping her community with a very generous donation. The successful rapper visited her former middle school in the Bronx, New York, and got emotional, surprising the students at the auditorium.“I hope today is not a tearjerker day for me,” Cardi said in a video on Instagram.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Sacheen Littlefeather made Oscars history in 1973 when she became the first Native woman to stand on stage at the awards ceremony. When Marlon Brando was named best actor for “The Godfather,” Littlefeather declined the prize on behalf of him, as he had boycotted the Oscars in protest of Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans. Met with both boos and cheers, she was escorted off the stage. But her 60-second Oscar speech was life-changing for her, as well as others. “He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award,” Littlefeather said to an audience of millions in her 1973 speech. “And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry… and on television in movie re-runs, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee.”

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Laika, the animation studio behind “ParaNorman” and “Coraline,” has announced a six-part series exploring the costumes, props and sets from its iconic films. Titled “Laika Archives,” the series will be released on Sept. 13 via the company’s YouTube channel and features artisans like costume designer Deb Cook, head of model-making Keith McQueen and writer-director Chris Butler. Says Butler, “There’s something truly magical about walking into a room and seeing a table full of gorgeous sculpts, gorgeous artwork that’s been created by very talented people.” David Burke, Laika chief marketing officer and SVP of operations, adds: “Laika creates movies that matter. It takes a community of talented artists, artisans and technologists to make a Laika film. Because they are crafted in the stop motion animation medium, the studio has many physical assets from each film.”

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Josh Groban, Joshua Henry and Rita Moreno will star in ABC’s “Beauty and the Beast 30th Anniversary Special,” Variety can exclusively reveal. Groban, who recorded the original song “Evermore” for the 2017 “Beauty and the Beast” film, will play Beast. Henry, who recently starred on Broadway’s “Into the Woods,” will play Gaston. Moreno will serve as the show’s narrator, guiding viewers along the classically enchanting tale. As previously announced, Grammy winner H.E.R. will play Belle in the live-action/animated hybrid. The casting news was announced Friday at the D23 Expo’s “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” panel, moderated by Variety’s senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Costume designer Gersha Phillips drew upon African tradition while creating outfits for “The Woman King,” Gina Prince-Bythewood’s movie about female warriors in the 1800s. The film starring Viola Davis will debut Sept. 9 at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival ahead of a Sept. 16 release by Sony’s TriStar. During her research, Phillips discovered that Agojie warriors in West Africa wore baggy pants during that time. Initially, she designed outfits in that style, but several iterations later, she incorporated wrap skirts — also seen in historical archives. Since the women were going to be moving a lot, Phillips says, “I had to consider functionality. Everybody had to fight, so we ended up using a stretch-knit fabric so they could do what they needed to do in it.”

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent  SF Studios (“A Man Called Otto”) is set to produce and distribute “The Abyss,”  a female-driven Swedish disaster film directed by Richard Holm (“Johan Falk”) and chronicling the tragic events that took place in the mining town of Kiruna. Now shooting on location, the movie is headlined by Tuva Novotny(“Annihilation”) who stars alongside  Kardo Razazzi (“Honour”)and Peter Franzen (“Vikings”), Felicia Truedsson (“Young Royals”), Tintin Poggats Sarri (“Charter”) and Edvin Ryding (“Young Royals”). “The Abyss” stars Novotny as Frigga, who tries to balance her risky job as a security manager in the Kiirunavaara mine with her family life, her new love Dabir (Razazzi) and her ex, who doesn’t want to let go (Franzén). But when the ground suddenly starts to shake under their feet, the puzzle of life doesn’t matter and the struggle to not be pulled into the abyss begins. 

Ethan Shanfeld It was a good run, but after many pleasantly uneventful decades it would appear we need to add “Lord of the Rings” to the ever-growing list of toxic fandoms. What sent some “Rings of Power” viewers over the edge? Why, the inclusion of a few nonwhite characters, of course — what else? Just as “Star Wars” had to do earlier this year, the “Rings of Power” folks felt compelled to clarify that “Our world has never been all white, fantasy has never been all white, Middle-earth is not all white” in a message sent across the show’s social channels yesterday. The statement was Amazon’s response to the “relentless racism, threats, harassment, and abuse some of our castmates of color are being subjected to on a daily basis. We refuse to ignore it or tolerate it.”

The cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has released a statement to condemn the racism the castmates of color have been subjected to.

Zack Sharf “The Lord of the Rings” cast members Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan banded together on social media to support the diverse casting in Amazon’s new series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” The series, which launched its first two episodes on Sept. 2 to critical acclaim and 25 million global viewers, has been come under fire by racist fans upset by the casting of actors of color in prominent roles. Wood, Boyd and Monaghan posed for a photo wearing t-shirts that features the ears of Middle Earth creatures in various skin tones. “You are all welcome,” Wood’s caption reads. The message is clear: Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan stand by Middle-Earth welcoming diversity just as “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” depicts. Wood included a link to an online store where fans can purchase their own t-shirts with the design on it. The store is also selling a sweatshirt and more clothing items with the same graphic. The shirt as seen in the photo is selling for $22.00. Per the online shop: “50% of all proceeds will go to a charity that support POC.”

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Years after the “Game of Thrones” Starbucks cup goof, eagle-eyed viewers have spotted a visual effects mistake in last Sunday’s “House of the Dragon” episode. In Season 1 Episode 3, titled “Second of His Name,” a scene features King Viserys (Paddy Considine) handing a letter to a soldier.

Variety on Friday that the 72-hour delay was put in place recently, first quietly on “A League of Their Own” that launched this summer, and now on its “Lord of the Rings” show. The move is designed to weed out bots or trolls from the genuine audience reception.

SPOILER ALERT: The first two episodes of Prime Video’s epic The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are live, and here is a gallery of photos from Season 1. Note that some of the images might be spoilers for those who haven’t watched yet.

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains details of Episode 1 of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor It took a village — and several hours a day — to transform “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” actor Owain Arthur into Prince Durin IV for the Amazon Prime Video series launching Sept. 2. The Peter Jackson films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” brought Middle Earth to life and established an elaborately detailed style for its inhabitants. The new series, which cost $462 million for the first season alone, brings a similar cinematic blockbuster quality to the small screen. Set in the Second Age of Middle Earth, it introduces a new world of characters, including Durin IV, who leads a clan of dwarves known as Longbeards.