Alamo Drafthouse Reunites 'Lord Of The Rings' Cast For Special Q&A Screenings To Support Local Cinemas

One cast to rule all the local cinemas, and in the darkness save them. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is bringing the fellowship back together for special Q&A screenings with The Lord of the Rings cast in support of local cinemas around the world. Moderating the Q&As with director Peter Jackson and cast members Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, and more is The Late Show host and longtime J.R.R. Tolkien fan Stephen Colbert.

The world is looking pretty bleak right now, and the only cast that can bring a little light back into it is the cast of The Lord of the Rings, the near-universal comfort watch for movie fans amid this ongoing pandemic. Now Alamo Drafthouse is bringing the trilogy, remastered in brand new 4K, back to theaters with special Q&A conversations with the cast to launch their "Support Local Cinemas" campaign.

Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Peter Jackson, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, and Elijah Wood are all returning to speak about the trilogy on its 20th anniversary, in conversations moderated by Colbert, for three consecutive weeks beginning March 25. Fans can submit questions for the assembled panel through March 10 using #LOTR20 on Twitter.

The Lord of the Rings reunion Q&As will be initially exclusive to theatrical screenings of the 4K remasters of the trilogy, but as part of their "Support Local Cinemas" campaign, Alamo Drafthouse is making these Q&A presentations available for all theaters around the globe entirely for free.

"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," said Wood, who helped assemble the cast and crew. "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."

Through the end of April, the Lord of the Rings cast reunions will also be available as  Your Own Private Alamo bookings, in which guests can reserve their own "personal theater" if they're not comfortable with going to public screenings at this time. Fans who are unable to go to theaters safely can also see the reunion conversations later online.

Here is the schedule for the Q&A screenings below. You can see more information about tickets here.

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING – beginning March 25

Featuring Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, and Elijah Wood.

THE TWO TOWERS – beginning April 1

Featuring Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Viggo Mortensen, and Liv Tyler. 

RETURN OF THE KING – beginning April 8

Featuring Peter Jackson, Ian McKellen, and Andy Serkis.

The news of the Lord of the Rings screenings event comes right after the Texas-based movie theater chain filed for bankruptcy as part of an asset purchase agreement with Altamont Capital Partners, a previous investor in the company, as well as affiliates of Fortress Investment Group, a new financial backer for the chain. Alamo Drafthouse changes hands as the company still grapples with aftermath of workplace abuse allegations.