AI Made A 1920s Black & White Lord Of The Rings Movie Trailer (And It's Precious)
The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy was arguably one of the biggest gambles in Hollywood history. With the relatively unexperienced Peter Jackson at the helm, the three films quickly emerged as cultural juggernauts, achieving both critical and financial acclaim. Today, the franchise continues to slowly truck along, as "The Lord of the Rings" is set to return in 2026 with a film focused on Gollum (Andy Serkis). Giving the core trilogy a spin-off is a sound decision, but what if Jackson and his team decided to reboot the entire franchise? With the use of artificial intelligence, TikTok creator @secondstarlight has shared what "The Lord of the Rings" would look like if it were made in the 1920s.
@secondstarlight @Abandoned Films got super creative with this one. #movies #lordoftherings #thelordoftherings
The throwback "Lord of the Rings" trailer is completely in black and white and doesn't feature any dialogue. Riddled with film grain to make the footage appear vintage, the trailer features classical jazz music to help set the mood. Because talkies wouldn't be common at the time, the trailer features intertitles to provide contextual narrative clues and dialogue. This trailer presents an authentic take on "The Lord of the Rings," taking viewers back to classic locations like the Shire and Mordor. Each location's unique aesthetic is captured and mimics the set design from Jackson's films.
Interestingly, this AI-generated 1920s "Lord of the Rings" trailer covers only the first film, "The Fellowship of the Ring." Because of the limitations of the time period and minimal budgets, one would assume that all three "Lord of the Rings" books would be condensed into one sprawling, epic film.
There are of tons of Lord of the Rings projects in the pipeline
As breathtaking as this 1920s-inspired "Lord of the Rings" trailer is, there's no such project in development. While it's definitely a fascinating concept, it's also a niche one, as it features no color and has a distinct lack of dialogue. As refreshing as it is to see a throwback take on an iconic property, it also wouldn't make much sense to film "The Lord of the Rings" with an old-school Hollywood style. Author J.R.R. Tolkien debuted "The Fellowship of the Ring" in 1954, decades before the 1920s. The final book, "The Return of the King," hit store shelves in 1955.
While there's no chance we'll ever see this version of "The Lord of the Rings" hit the big screen, Warner Bros. is currently planning out brand-new "Lord of the Rings" movies, meaning audiences will be returning to Middle-earth sooner rather than later. In addition to the Gollum-focused film, the studio plans on releasing an animated film in December 2024 titled "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim." While concrete details regarding the anime are minimal, we're hoping that "The War Of The Rohirrim" features a specific cameo from the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
In addition, audiences have the 2nd season of Prime Video's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" to look forward to. The sophomore outing has a release date of August 29, 2024.