About the Book
The definitive, unofficial oral history of the making of the iconic and beloved Lord of the Rings film trilogy--featuring interviews with cast and crew, who give the inside story of the landmark series twenty-five years after its original release. Celebrate the beloved, influential, and truly epic Lord of the Rings films with this essential read following the making of the trilogy, as told by cast and crew members. Journalist Sam Moore weaves together interviews with stars like Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, and Andy Serkis, to the writers and brilliant crew members who revolutionized filmmaking special effects and brought to vivid life what was thought of as a project as impossible to adapt as the hobbits scaling Mount Doom.
Twenty-five years after the first film's premiere, There and Back Again takes readers behind the scenes into director Peter Jackson's battles to get the trilogy made, the groundbreaking motion capture special effects that helped bring Gollum to life, and how the cast became a true fellowship that remains bonded to this day, complete with matching tattoos.
Through Sam Moore's insightful and entertaining interviews with almost a hundred cast and crew members, There and Back Again is the definitive account of the making of these modern movie classics, which was almost as thrilling as the films themselves.
About the Author :
Sam Moore is a journalist from England who has written extensively about film, TV and music for a variety of outlets including the BBC, The Independent, and The Guardian. In his spare time, he can be found playing vintage arcade games and watching the mighty Liverpool FC. There and Back Again is his first book. Nico Evers-Swindell is a New Zealand film, television, and voice actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Prince William in the 2011 film William and Kate. Other acting credits include the film Edge of Darkness and appearances in episodes of Law & Order.
Raphael Corkhill grew up in central London and attended the renowned Eton College before moving to the United States to attend Princeton University, after which he completed his MFA acting degree at the University of Southern California. Raphael's recent credits include the Los Angeles Theatre Center's production of Short Eyes, A Happy End at the Museum of Tolerance, and Luke Eberl's latest film, The Movie. Raphael's voice-over work includes the Weinstein Company's upcoming feature Lawless and the award-winning short film Wrecks and Violins.
Natalie Beran is a voice-over artist, actor, and international radio announcer/producer with a radio career spanning over fifteen years. Her voice has been featured in commercials for iHeart Radio, NZ Lotto, Les Mills, McDonald's, and Southern Comfort. She has narrated many audiobooks, including Menticide: The Awakening, Small Acts of Kindness, Tears Are Only Water, Pet, and Paper Cage, to name a few. She has voiced for video games including Warhammer 40K: Darktide, Sherlock Holmes, Robocop: Rogue City, and Blasphemous II, plus game titles soon to be released. She plays series regular Katherine Hillard in Power Rangers: The Audio Drama, along with narrating Haunting of Selene and Easthaven Eight. Her animation work includes Milo the Mechanic and Homebird, along with various ADR and film projects. Natalie is a graduate of the AMDA NY, a Globe International Actors fellow, BAFTA member, and SOVAS Voice Arts Award nominee. Evan Sibley is an in-demand narrator with a background in film and stage acting. GM Hakim (he/him) is a full-time voice actor who does voice-over work in e-learning, audiobooks, animation, audio guides, documentaries and docuseries, video games, audio dramas, corporate narration, explainers, promos, and more. GM has voiced projects for Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, MARVEL SNAP, Novartis, EF (Education First), Spotify, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Tantor, Dreamscape Media, The US Federal Highway Administration, Cleana, HAWK University in Germany, Chateau de Bouteville in France, Nacon, and the Chaffee County Visitor's Bureau in Colorado. GM works from his professional home studio just outside of Boston. He did his voice acting training and coaching at Abacus Entertainment in New York City, where he also recorded his demos. He studied broadcast and print journalism at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, where he had a weekly radio show on WAER-FM for three years. He taught middle school English, theater, and improv from 2005-2023, mostly in Montessori schools. When he's not working in voice-over, you can find him writing, playing board games, playing guitar, leading Dungeons & Dragons games as a Dungeon Master, riding his bike, reading, cooking, and spending time with his wife and daughter.
