Contents
A quarter of a century ago, one of the greatest cinematic adventures of all time began: The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. And to celebrate that milestone anniversary, Empire presents a must-have issue for any Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, or Wizards – one reunion to rule them all.
You won’t find it on newsstands until Thursday January 15, but here’s a sneak peek inside its pages.
The Lord Of The Rings At 25
Prepare to go there and back again with a massive Middle-earth blowout, including…
The Hobbits – And Gandalf – Reunited
As the trilogy’s four hairy-footed Hobbits, stars Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan went on the adventure of a lifetime. They reunited, along with Gandalf himself, Ian McKellen, for a major new interview and shoot, looking back on their unexpected journey.
Peter Jackson And Philippa Boyens
The production of Rings was a massive undertaking, all shepherded by New Zealand gorehound Peter Jackson. The director, and his co-writer Philippa Boyens, reflect on the mammoth (or, Mûmakil) making-of in a brand new interview.
Cast Interviews
And that’s not all! We also put together pairs of Middle-earth residents to reflect on their time in Tolkien’s world: Sean Bean and Viggo Mortensen talk men, mountains and death; Liv Tyler and Cate Blanchett share Elf war stories; and Orlando Bloom and John Rhys-Davies dig into the odd-couple chemistry of Legolas and Gimli.
Andy Serkis
Plus, Gollum himself – Andy Serkis – writes exclusively for Empire on his history with Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit, and where he’s taking the saga next in upcoming film The Hunt For Gollum.
Send Help
Horror icon Sam Raimi hasn’t made a full-on splatfest in nearly 17 years. But with Send Help, he’s going back to the genre he helped define, splatting Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien along the way. The trio talk to Empire about cooking up mayhem with their desert island survival story.
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Is This Thing On?
The story of Brit comedian John Bishop is a totally Hollywood-worthy origin tale. So it’s no surprise that Hollywood answered. He and Will Arnett – who co-wrote Is This Thing On?, and stars as a character based on Bishop – sit together for an Empire interview about turning his life into a Bradley Cooper-directed film.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
The mad mind behind Pirates Of The Caribbean and Rango is back. Gore Verbinksi talks to Empire about his unruly, independent, original sci-fi apocalypse story, pushing the boundaries on a minimal budget.
My Father’s Shadow
Sometimes, art gives us what real life cannot. The feature debut of brothers Wale Davies and Akinola Davies Jr. imagines their young selves spending a day with the father they never got to grow up with. They tell Empire about the deeply emotional results.
First Word
In the news section, we look over the biggest issues in Hollywood now and where 2026 might take them; Claire Foy talks grief and birds of prey in H For Hawk; we learn the basics of Crime 101 with Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth; go inside a gritty British prison drama in Wasteman; explore the wasteland with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple star Alfie Williams, and much more.
Final Cut
In the home entertainment section, we get on board Train Dreams with star Joel Edgerton; take on the impossible task of ranking the Mission: Impossible movies; break down Frankenstein’s creature with make-up master Mike Hill; give Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights the Masterpiece treatment; explore the life of Jay Kelly with Noah Baumbach; and plenty more.
Reviews
In this issue, you’ll find reviews of Nia DaCosta’s infected follow-up 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple; Richard Linklater’s French New Wave celebration Nouvelle Vague; starry fantasy 100 Nights Of Hero; Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut The Chronology Of Water; Bradley Coopers (literal) comedy drama Is This Thing On?; and many more.