text: Almost as scary as the thought of trying to film the entirety
  of J.R.R. Tolkien's massive Lord of the Rings trilogy -- think of it as War and
  Peace with elves and lichen -- is recalling Hollywood's brief 1980s fondness for
  Tolkien lite. Remember Labyrinth? Willow? Legend (which featured Tom
  Cruise in what will surely be the tweeest role of his career)?
  And then there was Ralph Bakshi's dismal animated Lord of
  the Rings (1978), which barely clattered its way through half the saga. So here's to
  nervy co-writer and director Peter Jackson (Heavenly Creatures), who is currently
  in the midst of a 14 month long trudge, shooting The Lord of the Rings in his
  native New Zealand.
  The plan, following Tolkien, is to release three separate
  films, possibly in a Christmas-summer-Christmas pattern beginning with the 2001 holiday
  season. Digital technology will allow Jackson to portray clashing armies of hobbits,
  dwarfs, elves, and other creatures without having to resort to foam rubber or sock
  He also benefits from a cast that includes Elijah Wood as
  hero hobbit Frodo Baggins, Ian Holm as his cousin Bilbo, Ian McKellen as the wizard
  Gandalf, Cate Blanchett as elf queen Galadriel, and Liv Tyler as Arwen, an elf warrior.
  New Line Cinema, the studio backing this venture, no doubt hopes the presence of two
  actresses will reassure audiences that not everyone in the film will have splayed, hairy
  Photograph by: Hugh Stewart
  Caption: Is there a politically correct term for Hobbit? From
  left, Sean Astin as Sam Gamgee, Billy Boyd as Pippin Took, Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins,
  and Dominic Monaghan as Merry Brandybuck. Photographed on the set of The Lord of the
  Rings, Hamilton, New Zealand, January 21, 2000.