Frankenstein: Crafting a Tale Eternal - LA Exhibit!

 Frankenstein: Crafting a Tale Eternal reveals writer and director, Guillermo del Toro’s vision and the artistry that helped craft the film! is open to the public through reservations. The exhibit ran from October 17th to November 9th at the Old Selridges Hotel in London. This was after the screening of the film at the BFI London Film Festival on October 13th before showing at select UK and Ireland theaters on October 17th. It started streaming on Netflix on November 7th. It has now opened at the NYA Studios West in Hollywood from January 5th to the 11th. This is to coincede with the award nominations. David Fincher, George Lucas, and Mellody Hobson hosted a screening on the opening night. The building at 1520 Wilcox Ave. is large with several movie posters covering the walls. A queue down the building’s street formed for many of the fans. 

The costume of Elizabeth (Mia Goth), the work of Kate Hawley and her team, Frankenstein: Crafting A Tale Eternal, author’s photo. 

It began with displays of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus (1818), including a 1831, first edition of the book from Peter Harrington Rare Books in London. Shelley’s writing of the book and attempt to publish it is a story in itself. There is a enclosure with many panels and video with del Toro that detail the filmmaking process. I think these are excerpts from the book, Art and Making of Frankenstein (2025), by Sheila O’Malley. It ends with a green dress of Elizabeth’s costume with a drawing board of fabrics, designs, and sketches. There are faceless mannequins with puppet-like arms and fingers. A hallway leads to a split with Victor’s side on the left, recommended since you can follow the film’s story, and the Creature’s story on the right. So on the left is section of wall that shows the sketches that leads to the coffin masks of Leopold (Charles Dance) and Claire (Mia Goth). This includes her jewelry with Medusa mask. 

There is a large painting of the family, Leopold looking severe, young Victor (Christian Convery) has an innocent face, and Claire looks downward. Then, the costumes of Leopold with his black hat and cape, Victor’s black coat and red kerchief showing both parents, and Claire’s red dress with veil. Excellent work by costume designer, Kate Hawley. The next room on the right has the blue dress and feathered headdress of Elizabeth (Goth) and the tuxedo of William (Felix Kammerer). To the side is a wall that has the Tiffany and Co. involvement with the film through jewelry. This is interesting since the research revealed parts that made it into the movie through scarab jewelry and back to the Tiffany's collection. On the other side is a large room of the lecture with Victor’s strange surgical tools and box, the grisly half-corpse which you can see up close, complete with the red ball in his hand, a machine chugs right below him. 

Beauty, Horror, and Obsession all combine in this room with the dress of Elizabeth and the costume of Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), photo by the author. 

Then, the debonair suit and red kerchief of Victor (Oscar Isaac) holding a cylinder. Continue forward and against a wal is the blue coat and black hat of Harlander (Christoph Waltz). Another room has the green dress and bonnet of Elizabeth before the Creature lashed to a table with the skin of his back peeled back!, and at the end Victor, sleeves rolled up with what looks like a butcher’s apron! The exhibit continues with the laboratory, a large, red cylinder, Victor’s work-like brown trousers and bloody shirt with rolled up sleeves, and the Creature with his chest and right leg opened on a table. Behind him is the Medusa sculpture, a case has a spider-like spinal attachment, and at the end is the miniature of the tower! Incredible work by production designer, Tamara Deverell! Some turns leads you to Elizabeth and the wedding which is the merging of Victor and the Creature’s stories. What is interesting is the room with Williams’s wedding tuxedo and Elizabeth’s white dress, this is later stained red below her torso like an apron. 

Look to the right and there is a large mirror where you can glimpse the Creature! To follow the film’s narrative, I would recommend back tracking through the exhibit to the hall that splits the different stories. To the side of the hall is the red statue of the guardian angel bathed in red light. She has carving on her face like tears or the stitched parts of the Creature. Then, there is the heavy coat of the Blind Man (David Bradley).  A case has some props of letter cards and books. On a chair is the open book of what looks like John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1667). Across from the Blind Man is the figure of the Creature with furs and ragged coat, he has the face of Jacob Elordi, pale with patches of his face, and long hair. His dark hair is a highlight for hair department head, Cilona Furey. Continue onwards and there is a wall of the different actors like a folding of cards. To the right is the listening room where Alexandre Desplat’s music is featured with the film. The music runs throughout the exhibition. 

                    The ragged furs and coat of The Creature (Jacob Elordi), a figure of mystery and horror,  author’s photo. 

The next room is the maps, stylus, and compass of Captain Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen). His heavy winter coat and boots are next to the table. The information card tells about the thought that went into the history of the ship, Horizon. Then, we get the patchwork coat and large hood of The Creature who was ominous in the film’s opening. On the other side is the prosthetic leg of Victor. Three crewmen of the Horizon are displayed. This leads to the wedding scene of William and Elizabeth. There is also a strips of cloth like an abandoned building, but to spotlight the dresses of two women at the wedding. 

A little backtracking goes back to the Creature figure in furs near the beginning/end. There are some poster sized notes that look like Victor Frankenstein’s notebook, but also look like del Toro’s designs and notebook. This leads to a large bust of Jacob Elordi's head; half in red, eyes closed, and the other half is the pale Creature. A video there also features the work of theMakeup department; Mike Hill (prosethetic make up effects) and Jordan Samuel (makeup department head). Word of warning, there is darkness and red, moody lighting so when you go out into the sun, kinda blinding! Frankenstein: Crafting A Tale Eternal has many of the hard work from the departments all working together at their highest artistry to bring Guillermo del Toro's film to life! 

#FrankensteinCraftingATaleEternal, #NyaStudiosWest, #GuillermoDelToro, #KateHawley, #MaryShelley, #ArtAndMakingOfFrankenstein, #SheilaOMalley, #CharlesDance, #MiaGoth

#ChristianConvey, #FelixKammerer, #TiffanyAndCo, #OscarIsaac, #ChristoffWaltz, #TamaraDeverell, #TamaraDeverell, #DavidBradley, #JacobElordi, #CilonaFurey, #AlexandreDesplat, #LarsMikkelsen,#MikeHill, #JordanSamuel 

Happy Birthday Hayao Miyazaki!

It is the birthday of Hayao Miyazaki, a master storyteller and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki is still crafting traditional cel animation! He was chief animator and concept artist for Horus, Prince of the Sun (1968) directed by Isao Takahata. Miyazaki co-directed with Isao Takahata Lupin The Third Part I (1971-1972), the animated series based on Monkey Punch’s gentleman thief. Then, he directed the animated series Future Boy Conan (1978). In 1982, Miyazaki wrote and drew his sci fi ecological manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. He directed The Castle of Cagliostro (1979) which starred Lupin the Third. 

Also in 1982, he wrote and drew his sci fi ecological manga Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.  Then, directed the film of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind in 1984. He started his longtime collaboration with the music of Joe Hisaishi with that film. In 1985, he founded Studio Ghibili with Toshio Suzuki, Isao Takahata, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma. He then directed Castle in the Sky (1986) and then the classic My Neighbor Totoro (1988). The stage play of My Neighbor Totoro opened at the Barbican Theatre, London in 2022. Next, was Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) and then Porco Rosso (1992). Miyazaki wrote Starting Point (1979-1996) which is insightful in his creative processes. Highly recommended for anyone interested in animation and his work. 

In 1997, he wrote and directed Princess Mononoke, its English adaptation was written by Neil Gaiman. It won the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year.  Miyazaki then worked on Spirited Away (2001) which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In 2022, Spirited Away: Live on Stage debuted at the Imperial Theatre in Tokyo. The filmed version appeared in theaters in 2023 and is now on Blu Ray. Also, in 2001, the Studio Ghibli Museum opened which featured many of the Studio Ghibli creations. Next, he wrote and directed Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) based on the Diana Wynne Jones fantasy novel. Miyazaki continued his writings on animation with Turning Point: 1997-2008. Following it, there was Ponyo (2008). 

In 2009, Miyazaki wrote the manga Kaze Tachinu based on the story of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter. This was turned into the animated film The Wind Rises (2014). Hayao Miyazaki was awarded the Person of Cultural Merit in 2012. He has worked on short films and displays for the Studio Ghibli Museum. There was a documentary on Studio Ghibli in 2013, The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness. 

A documentary, Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki was released in December 2018. He was given the Academy Honorary Award in 2014 for his work in animation and cinema. In 2022, Miyazaki's manga that he drew and wrote in 1983, was published as Shuna's Journey. In November 2022, Ghibli Park opened in Nagakute, Japan. How Do You Live? is the 1937 novel by Genzaburo Yoshino. It is seen in the latest Miyazaki film, The Boy and The Heron (2023). Many of the titles are now streaming on HBO Max. Happy Birthday Hayao Miyazaki!    

#HayaoMiyazaki, #HorusPrinceOfTheSun, #LupinTheThird, #FutureBoyConan, #NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind, #CastleOfCagliostro, #CastleInTheSky, #MyNeighborTotoro, #KikisDeliveryService, #PorcoRosso, #StartingPoint, #PrincessMononoke, #SpiritedAway 

#StudioGhibliMuseum, #HowlsMovingCastle, #TurningPoint, #Ponyo, #TheWindRises, #TheKingdomOfDreamsAndMadness, #NeverEndingManHayaoMiyazaki, #HowDoYouLive, #TheBoyAndTheHeron 

Top Expected Movies for 2026!

These are the top expected films for 2026, but note that there will always be the surprise gems and also disappointments! First has to be Dune: Part Three which opens on December 18th. Denis Villeneuve has been crafting brilliant adaptations of Frank Herbert’s 1965 book, the original novel comes it at 896 pages, Dune: Messiah (1969) is 352 pages so perfect for a single movie. So there is room to expand this part of the Dune Chronicles. Paul of Dune (2008) written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, covers the time in between the books. Herbert and Anderson are producers and creative consultant on the films and their Sisterhood of Dune (2012) was adapted into the series, Dune: Prophecy. 

The second and third books were adapted into a Sy Fy mini-series, Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune (2000). James McAvoy played Leto II and Jessica Brooks was Ghanima. I really like the return of the cast; Timothee Chalamet back as Paul Artreides and Zendaya as Chani. It seems we have an expanded part for Florence Pugh as Irulan and Anya Taylor-Joy as Alia, daughter of Lady Jessica. The pivotal characters are Ghanima (Dia Brooke), daughter of Chani and Nakoa-Wolf Momoa as Leto II. We also have the surprise appearance of Jason Mamoa, his Duncan Idaho died in the first film and novel, not a surprise for readers ot the books. I hope this movie strikes Oscar gold in the top categories, Best Director, maybe Best Film. No trailer or movie poster yet. 

The next expected movie is Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew. It hits theaters on November 26th. In order of publication, The Magician’s Nephew (1955) was the seventh, penulimate novel. It was actually a prequel to the series, explaining Narnia itself, the White Witch, and how that lamp post appeared. So the elements of Narnia are set up. We see Digory Kirke, who was the professor with his house holding the wardrobe, as a young boy. The film series reached The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) from Fox, so Disney now has rights to all of them. It was the third book from in the series. A BBC mini-series reached The Silver Chair (1990). This was the fourth book. Greta Gerwig is of course a sensation after Barbie (2023) and has said that she has “reverence for Narnia. 

We know Gerwig is incredibly detailed in her fantasy world building with Barbie. David McKenna will play Digory and his fellow visitor to Narnia, Polly Plummer is played by Beatrice Campbell. This will be fascinating as the possibly the first film that will lead to a Narnia series. Third on the list is from another formidable director, Antonie Fuqua’s Michael, which was delayed from 2025. It was delayed because of references against the agreement of the Jackson estate. There was a musical, MJ the Musical (2021). Most spectacular is the performance of Jaafar Jackson, the nephew of Michael Jackson, he made the trailer come alive. It also features a great cast with Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson and Miles Teller as John Branca, now Chairman of The Michael Jackson Company. The bio-film opens on April 24th. 

The number four expected movie is The Mandalorian and Grogu. The fact that there hasn’t been a Star Wars film since 2019, the franchise killer “sequel” movie, gives promise. This is also in the Favreau/Filoni sphere of influence, it is directed and co-written by Jon Favreau and also written by Dave Filoni. The third season of The Mandalorian may have been disappointing, I thought the first half was good, but it was in 2023 so there has been three years to bring this story to the screen. There was a delay of filming with the union strikes. The series was developed around 2017 with the release of the first season on Disney+ in 2019, two years or so, so I think this is enough time to develop and build on Mando’s story. There are so many expectations, what I find interesting is The Mandalorian was the first live action series which leads to the first Star Wars movie in seven years. 

This is like Star Trek going from television screens into cinemas. This is on Favreau’s shoulders. Also, the film has to set up its setting and characters for those who haven’t seen the show and also remember, the persons who have never seen any Star Wars! The return of Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin is inevitable, Pascal has been in a number of genre movies and shows lately; The Last of Us, last year’s Gladiator II, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and this year, Avengers: Doomsday, will there be Pascal-lash? Does Grogu develop as a character?  I like the return of Steve Blum voicing Zeb. The news seems to focus on Sigourney Weaver’s Colonel Ward. I also like Jeremy Allen White voicing Rotta the Hutt whom we haven’t seen since The Clone Wars (2008) movie. There isn’t many other actors announced, but I would to see Katee Sackhoff return as Bo-Katan Kryze, Emily Swallow as The Armorer, and Captain Treva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) is a given considering the premise. 

I really want to see Amy Sedaris as Peli Motto, it is likely Peli Motto found Din a new Razor Crest for him to fly, Razor Crest II?, or the Mythosaur? It may be about the Imperial remnants and pirates that were intended to be part of George Lucas’ new trilogy. Will all of this lead to Grand Admiral Thrawn and the Heir to the Empire-like scenario? Dunno, will have to wait until May 22nd. #5 Expected film, the live action Moana, the trailer sold me so I can’t wait for July 10th. We hear Catherine Laga’aia sing, “How Far I’ll Go” that made me instantly go yeah that’s Moana. As much so or even more than the original actress, Auli’i Cravalho. She is seen in long shots or a child, but get a medium shot as she sings, “I am Moana!” Impressive. 

There is only a scene from behind the eagle as it shifts into Maui so I think Dwayne Johnson may be a surprise. Moana has been consistently strong in viewership on streaming. The audience may move to the theatrical version and be a mega-hit. I think there may be an expansion of the characters, story, and new songs? Opetaia Foa’i returns along with Mark Mancina for the music. Jared Bush returns to write the screenplay alongside Dana Ledoux Miller who worked with Bush on Moana 2 (2024). I think what is more promising to me is director, Thomas Kail, who directed the Broadway performance of Hamilton (2020). Could this mean he will do a film version of Hamilton? 

Many scenes are improvizational and on the single stage, a movie would open it up to locations, battles, and more actors. The next movie is Masters of the Universe, really based on Travis Knight as director, it is set for release on June 5th. It was a popular toy line and show that lasted two seasons, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983-1984). There was a theatrical animated film, He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword (1985). The live action Masters of the Universe (1987) film basically used Jack Kirby’s Fourth World and threw it on the toy/show storyline. Knight, head of Laika Studios, put the Transformers franchise on track with Bumblebee (2018). He respected the franchise and expanded the film with intiguing characters. 

I see the same with this movie especially with the casting, Nicholas Galitzine looks like he is in He-Man shape, Camila Mendes is Teela, Idris Elba will be a great Man-At-Arms, and Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress, wow. We do have Jared Leto as Skeletor. There were many surprise cameos in Bumblebee, could we see She-Ra? No trailer yet for this movie. The trailer for Hoppers was funny making it a must see on March 6th. What it reminds me the most is the film, The Wild Robot (2024) with the protagonist translating the voices of animals and learning from them. The hero, Mabel Tanaka played by Piper Curda waking up in the animal world looks like Brother Bear (2003). I do like the craziness of Dr. Sam (Kathy Najimy). The King George (Bobby Moynihan) is funny. Mabel leading an animal revolution makes me think of the Brendan Fraser comedy, Furry Vengeance (2010). No matter what it all looks like, this movie looks fun!  

#8 Expected movie, Mortal Kombat II, really like the first Mortal Kombat (2021) which rebooted the franchise. It drops May 8th. I really like the returning characters, Lewis Tan’s Cole Young, will he be sidelined for Karl Urban as Johnny Cage? Also Ludi Lin (Liu Kang) who was a supporting character instead of lead which is what I suspect with Cole Young. Jessica McNamee is back as Sonya Blade and Mehcad Brooks as Jax. I’m really looking forward to Hiroyuki Sanada as Scorpion. I’m not certain if they get to the tournament with the gathering of champions. I expect this one over Street Fighter since the other trailer shows some video game fight moves, but Mortal Kombat shows more of the story. Both might be great action movies. At number nine is Clayface, the first superhero related film, out on September 11th. No trailer, but it is intriguing that Mike Flanagan’s script suddenly shows up on the DC Studios slate and gets filmed. 

The director is James Watkins who remade the horror film, Speak No Evil 2024. Flanagan is said to be inspired by the Batman: The Animated Series, two part episodes, “Feat of Clay”, parts 1 and 2 (1992). The story of those episodes was by Marv Wolfman and Michael Reaves. It pits actor Matt Hagen (Tom Rhys Harries) against Roland Daggett. Davies starred in the crime drama, Suspicion (2022). He is businessman who created the Reunyu face cream that transforms Matt. Naomi Ackle is set to play Dr. Caitlin Bates, possibly involved Renuyu and a love interest like Geena Davis in The Fly (1986)? This is described as body horror on the level of The Substance (2024)? The rumor is that the one-shot comic, Batman: One Bad Day: Clayface (2023) written by Collin Kelly, is an inspiration. I still believe that Detective Comics Annual #1 (2018), by James Tynion IV, which re-told the origin of Clayface is an influence. It made clear that Clayface is a tragic figure. Note that it is set in Gotham City, but may not involve Batman! 

Lastly, is Project Hail Mary adapting the novel by Andy Weir who also wrote The Martian (2011), his first novel turned into the 2015 film. This movie is from the directing duo, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, they wrote the animated film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). The trailer was released on June 30th of last year and the film opens to theaters on March 20th. We see Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) waking up and saying over and over, “I’m not an astronaut.” This is Gosling’s return since Barbie. The untrained space man has great promise since the wacky Don Knotts comedy, The Reluctant Astronaut (1967). We see Sandra Huller’s Eva Stratt tell him that he is the Earth’s last hope. Huller starred in the drama, Anatomy of a Fall (2023). Her dead seriousness just makes the situation of a dying sun an adventure. 

I love that Milaya Vantryub is part of the monitor crew. She was very funny in the sci fi show, Other Space (2015). Then, we see Ryland was a middle school science teacher, probably the best part! All of the stars are dying, except one, which sends Ryland with a molecular biology degree into space! Then, he encounters an unknown object, a starship, making first contact with a strange extraterrestrial. This makes me think of Arthur C. Clarke’s sci fi novel, Rendevous with Rama (1973) that Morgan Freeman has been trying to get filmed. It would be the ultimate hard science fiction movie. There are some films that are very strong in expectations. One of them is Toy Story 5, due out on June 19th, it is directed and written by Andrew Stanton. He had story and screenplay credit for Toy Story 4 (2019) and provided the same work on the first two movies.

It is great to have Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) back together again after going their own ways in the last film. The trailer hinted at a tablet, Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee), the disrupts all of the other toys! On August 21st, Insidious: The Bleeding World opens at theaters. I really like the series, it appeared to finish with Insidious: The Red Door (2023) directed by Patrick Wilson. Still, there is more with Lin Shaye's character, Elise Rainer, who was last in Insidious: The Last Key (2018). No trailer so it is difficult to understand the direction of the story and characters. Finally, Robert Eggers' Werwulf that comes out on December 25th, he promises a dark film. 

His Nosferatu (2024) is intense and it looks like many of the same cast are returning; Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the lycanthorpe in question, Lily Rose-Depp, and Willem Defoe. This one is also a mystery without a trailer, poster, or too much information. The other movies?; The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, November 20th opening, has potential with Francis Lawrence as director. I really like the last prequel film, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023). No trailer yet which would be the deciding rfactor. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has everything that it's in my interest, out in July 17th, but something is off, not the historical accuracy. Matt Damon stars as Odysseus returning home from the Trojan War. 

Does the film have fantasy with Charlize Theron as the witch Circe, Zendaya as the goddess Athena, and Cyclops. Is there a real world twist like not actual magic, but chemistry to hide witchcraft? Athena is just in Odysseus' dreams. The Cyclops are just tall guys with one eye poked out or just born with one eyes? Anything of that sort would be disappointing. There was a 1997 tv mini-series that had the fantastic elements. Supergirl with Milly Alcock?, June 26th, just wasn't interested with the trailer, whatever. Lasty, Avengers: Doomsday, December 18th, the Russo brothers were making films for Netflix, the last one was The Electric State (2025). It just seems like the MCU is abandoning where they were going with the Confuso Verse. All of the films may be surprisingly brilliant or fall short, but it is going to be a good year for movies! 

#DunePartThree, #DenisVilleneuve, #TimotheeChalamet, #Zendaya, #FlorencePugh, #AnyaTaylorJoy, #DiaBrooke, #NakoaWolfMomoa, #NarniaTheMagiciansNephew, #GretaGerwig, #DavidMcKenna, #BeatriceCampbell, #Michael, #AntoineFuqua, #JaafarJackson

 #ColmanDomingo, #MilesTeller, #TheMandalorianAndGrogu, #JonFavreau, #DaveFiloni, #PedroPascal, #SigourneyWeaver, #SteveBlum, #JeremyAllenWhite, #Moana, #ThomasKail, #JaredBush, #DanaLedouxMiller, #CatherineLagaaia, #DwayneJohnson, #OpetaiaFaoi

#MarkMancina, #MastersOfTheUniverse, #TravisKnight, #NicholasGalitzine, #CamilaMendes, #IdrisElba, #MorenaBaccarin, #JaredLeto, #Hoppers, #PiperCurda, #KathyNajimy, #BobbyMoynihan, #MortalKombatII, #LewisTan, #KarlUrban,#JessicaMcNamee, #LudiLin 

#MehcadBrooks, #HiroyukiSanada, #Clayface, #JamesWatkins, #MikeFlanagan, #TomRhysHarries, #NaomiAckle, #ProjectHailMary, #PhilLord, #ChristopherMiller, #RyanGosling, #SandraHuller, #MilayaVantryub, #ToyStory5, #AndrewStanton, #TomHanks

#TimAllen, #GretaLee, #InsidiousTheBleedingWorld, #LinShaye, #Werwulf, #RobertEggers, #AaronTaylorJohnson, #LilyRoseDepp, #WillemDefoe

#TheHungerGamesSunriseOnTheReaping, #FrancisLawrence, #TheOdyssey, #ChristopherNolan, #MattDamon, #CharlizeTheron, #Zendaya, #Supergirl, #MillyAlcock, #AvengersDoomsday, #RussoBrothers

Happy Birthday J.R.R. Tolkien!

 Happy Birthday J.R.R. Tolkien! We may know John Ronald Reuel Tolkien as creator of Lord of the Rings, but his background as professor of Anglo-Saxon and worked on the Oxford English Dictionary. Tolkien was born in South African and there was bitten by a baboon spider which he says he doesn’t remember, but may have appeared as Shelob. His family moved to Birmingham, the inspiration for Hobbiton?, he married Edith Mary Bratt. He fought in World War I and returned to England to work on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Tolkien wrote at Pembroke College The Hobbit and began Lord of the Rings. He started work on translating Beowulf. His younger years is seen in the film Tolkien (2019). The Hobbit was published in 1937. There was a tv animated movie of The Hobbit from Rankin and Bass in 1977, a formative year with Star Wars. Of course, we know that Peter Jackson filmed the book as a trilogy from 2012 to 2014.

Farmer Giles of Ham, a comic tale in the spirit of Medieval stories, was published in in 1949. Tolkien published The Adventures of Tom Bombadil in 1962. At Oxford, Tolkien was in a group called the Inklings which included C.S. Lewis, their fantasy worlds have interesting reflections. Tolkien completed Lord of the Rings during his time at Oxford. We of course know Tolkien best from Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films which begun in 2001 with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and completed in 2003 with The Return of the King. Ralph Bakshi produced an animated film The Lord of the Rings (1978) which adapted the first two books. In 1980, Rankin and Bass adapted in television movie, The Return of the King. Most of Tolkien’s work was compiled and finished by his son, Christopher Tolkien, including The Silmarillion in 1977. The Silmarillion is the sweeping history of Middle Earth from its creation to the Third Age of The Lord of the Rings. 

The Second Age is detailed in the Amazon Prime series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. It is continuing on with a third season. In 2024, there was the anime film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. The battle of Helm Hammerhand was in Appendix A of The Return of the King (1955). Next, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set to be directed by Andy Serkis. This would be Appendix B of The Return of the King. The Tolkien book on Norse myth was published in 2010 as The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún.  Christopher Tolkien edited and published The Fall of Arthur (2013). Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary was published in 2014. The Finnish epic that was influential for Lord of the Rings, The Story of Kullervo, was published in 2017. He also compiled his father's work in several books collected in The Great Tales of Middle-Earth; Children of Húrin (2007), Beren and Lúthien (2017), and The Fall of Gondolin (2018).  J.R.R. Tolkien died in 1973, one of the most famous professors and novelists from his Middle Earth work.  He is buried in Oxford with his wife, on the headstone, Edith Mary Tolkien Lúthien, and his name, John Ronald Ruel Tolkien Beren. Happy Birthday J.R.R. Tolkien!

#JRRTolkien, #SirGawainAndTheGreenKnight, #TheHobbit, #TheLordoftheRings, #Beowulf, #Tolkein, #FarmerGilesOfHam, #TheAdventuresOfTomBombadil, #TheFellowshipOfTheRings, 

#TheReturnOfTheKing, #TheSilmarillion, #TheRingsOfPower, #TheWarOfTheRohirrim, #TheHuntForGollum, #TheLegendsOfSigurdAndGudrun, #TheFallOfArthur, #TheStoryOfKullervo, #TheChildrenOfHurin, #BerenAndLuthien, #TheFallOfGondolin