Alamo Drafthouse Launching Lord of the Rings Reunion for "Support Local Cinema" Campaign

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and in hopes of bringing audiences into theaters, Alamo Drafthouse has announced they will be launching multiple reunion events featuring members of the cast and crew, which will be hosted by Stephen Colbert. These Q&As for all three films will coincide with screenings of all-new 4K restorations of the original trilogy, with Alamo Drafthouse also making the events available for independent cinemas in hopes of drawing in viewers to support their local theaters. The events will kick off on March 25th.

Per press release, "A full year after the world changed, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is bringing together Middle-earth's finest to celebrate and support local cinemas across the world. For three consecutive weeks beginning March 25th with The Fellowship of the Ring, cast members from the cast of The Lord of the Rings trilogy will come together for conversations celebrating the 20th anniversary of these monumental films. Participating talents include Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Peter Jackson, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, and Elijah Wood. Each will be moderated by Stephen Colbert, host of The Late Show on CBS and a noted 'Ring Nut.' Fans can submit questions for the assembled panel through March 10th using #LOTR20 on Twitter.

"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," Elijah Wood, who led the charge in assembling the cast and crew, shared in a statement. "When Tim [League] 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 reunion Q&A content will be initially exclusively to theatrical screenings of the new 4K remastering of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. As part of their new "Support Local Cinemas" campaign, Alamo Drafthouse is making these Q&A presentations available for all theaters around the globe entirely for free.

"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," says Tim League, Alamo Drafthouse Founder and Executive Chairman. "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."

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring – beginning March 25th
Featuring Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, and Elijah Wood.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – beginning April 1st
Featuring Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, and Liv Tyler.

The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King – beginning April 8th
Featuring Peter Jackson, Ian McKellen, and Andy Serkis.

As vaccination levels rise across the country, Alamo Drafthouse will continue to offer one-of-a-kind special events like The Lord of the Rings Cast Reunion as a 'welcome back' for guests to safely return to their local movie theaters. Future events – cast reunions, director interviews and commentaries, and behind-the-scenes looks at iconic films – will be produced by Alamo Drafthouse and made available for free to any cinema in the world.

Operating during the COVID era has been an immense challenge for all theaters – and will continue even once the industry and the world has returned to a sense of 'normalcy.' After reopening last August, Alamo Drafthouse reinvented its entire operating model to create the safest possible gathering place outside the home – safer than supermarkets, bars, and restaurants – featuring dramatically enhanced safety protocols, HVAC upgrades, and state-of-the-art technology.

Through the end of April, The Lord of the Rings Cast Reunion will also be available as Your Own Private Alamo bookings, Alamo Drafthouse's innovative 'personal theater' option where guests can quickly and easily reserve a showing for their family and friends. Additionally, for fans who are unable to make it out to a theater safely at this time, the reunion conversations will later be made available online.

You can head to the Alamo Drafthouse's official website for more details.

Will you be checking out these events? Let us know in the comments below!