'Lord Of The Rings' And 'The Hobbit' 4K Box Sets Are On The Way

Finally, the journey is at an end: The Lord of the Rings trilogy is getting a 4K box set. Uh, oh yes...there's also going to be a Hobbit 4K box set, but it's okay, you're among friends here – you can admit you don't care about that. Peter Jackson's epic journey through Middle-earth remains a major cinematic achievement, and fans (like me) have been wondering when we'd be blessed with 4K releases. While an official announcement from Warner Bros. has yet to arrive, links to pre-order the upcoming releases went live earlier today, and Lord of the Rings trilogy star Sean Astin confirmed the impending release as well.

In the video above, Sean Astin – who played Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings films – revealed that a Lord of the Rings 4K Blu-ray box set is on the way. This isn't exactly an "official" announcement since nothing has been sent out yet by Warner Bros. home media, but it's definitely happening. Because not only do we have Astin's announcement above, but there were also pre-order links for the following on Amazon and the Best Buy website (via Comic Book).

UPDATE: Warner Bros. has also finally announced specific details: The Hobbit trilogy and The Lord of the Rings trilogy will both be released on 4K box sets on December 1. But, there's a catch! If you want special features, you'll have to wait until summer 2021. Because that's when we'll get the 4K Middle-earth" Ultimate Collectors' Edition featuring "the theatrical and extended versions of all six films, along with new bonus content, previously released Blu-ray discs of The Hobbit Trilogy, and remastered Blu-ray discs of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will be released in the summer of 2021. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy featuring remastered Blu-ray discs of the theatrical and extended versions of the 3 films will also be released in the fourth quarter 2021, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."

Here are some more details:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs of The Hobbit Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will feature Dolby Vision^TM HDR that dramatically expands the color palette and contrast range and uses dynamic metadata to automatically optimize the picture for every screen, frame by frame. The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs of The Hobbit Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will also feature a Dolby Atmos® soundtrack remixed specifically for the home theater environment to place and move audio anywhere in the room, including overhead. To experience Dolby Atmos at home, a Dolby Atmos enabled AV receiver and additional speakers are required, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar. Dolby Atmos soundtracks are also fully backward compatible with traditional audio configurations and legacy home entertainment equipment.

The Hobbit Trilogy and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy will be available on 4K Ultra HD for $89.99 Expected Retail Price.