We May Have To Wait Longer For The Lord Of The Rings And The Hobbit In 4K

Despite The Fellowship Of The Ring being almost 20 years old, Lord Of The Rings is the film trilogy that keeps on giving--at least as far as physical releases are concerned. In 2016, the Middle Earth Collection included The Hobbit trilogy and LOTR together for the first time--and now, that collection will be re-released in 4K.

While it's been reported that the 4K remasters would release in October this year, a new report from The Digital Bits suggest that date may be a little ambitious. While Warner Bros' internal databases have pointed toward the October/Q4 date, internal sources cited by The Bits suggest the remaster is only half done at this point, making an October release unlikely.

The remaster is being handled by Weta Digital in New Zealand, the studio that handled the original digital effects for the Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. The Bits has concluded that the 4K collection will most likely launch next year, though it's not impossible for it to release by the end of the year.

The Lord Of The Rings trilogy was shot on 35mm film, while The Hobbit was shot digitally in 48fps, up to 5K resolution. The 4K release should include both the theatrical editions and the extended editions of all six films.

Amazon is currently producing a Lord of The Rings TV show set in the Second Age of Middle Earth. Here's everything we know about that project so far.