Popverse's top stories

• Ultimate Universe architect Jonathan Hickman didn't expect Marvel Comics to close the line down
• Magic: The Gathering has a new Secret Lair drop starring your favorite creepy, fluffy toy (No, it's not Labubu)
• Take part in an exclusive C2E2 2026 ticket presale for our Chicago return - with VIPs and more up for grabs for Popverse Superfans first

Can you believe that it's been almost 25 years since Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films first hit cinemas? It's difficult to believe, perhaps, but it's true: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring came out back in December 2001, launching both one of the most ambitious cinematic trilogies of all time (The movies came out annually! That was a big deal back then!) and one of fandom's most beloved on-screen gangs at the same time. 

To celebrate next year's quarter-century anniversary, the LOTR hobbits Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, and Elijah Wood are joining forces in 2026 to tour around the United States in a series of events called An Evening with the Hobbits: In Celebration of 25 Years. The tour will kick off on January 10, 2026, at Fan Expo New Orleans, and continue in cities like Portland, Vancouver, Orlando, Calgary, Denver, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and more. The full listing of the tour looks like this:

• Fan Expo New Orleans: Saturday, January 10 at 7:30pm
• Fan Expo Portland: Saturday, January 17 at 7:30pm
• Fan Expo Vancouver: TBD (The show itself runs February 14-16 2026)
• Megacon Orlando: Saturday, March 21 at 7:30pm
• Calgary Comics & Entertainment Expo : Saturday, April 25 at 7:30pm
• Fan Expo Denver: TBD (The show runs May 28-31 2026)
• Fan Expo Philadelphia: TBD (The show runs May 29-31 2026)
• Fan Expo Boston: Saturday, August 8 at 7:30pm
• Fan Expo Chicago: Saturday, August 15 at 7:30pm
• Fan Expo Canada: Saturday August 29 at 7:30pm
• Fan Expo Dallas: Saturday September 12 at 7:30pm

Tickets for An Evening with the Hobbits: In Celebration of 25 Years at Megacon Orlando will go on sale October 22 at Megacon Orlando's website. At each of the stops, the actors will also be offering photo-ops and autographs, as well as what Fan Expo organizers are calling "VIP experiences," with exclusive tour merch also available at every stop. Fascinatingly, organizers are also teasing "additional Lord of the Rings guest appearances" at future shows, as well, so stay tuned to find out what that could mean.

Of course, the upcoming tour won't be the first time all four hobbits have shared a stage since the conclusion of the movies - Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, and Elijah Wood were seen together at this year's C2E2 along with co-stars John Rhys-Davies (Gimli), and Andy Serkis (Gollum) as part of the 'There and Back Again: A Lord of the Rings Cast Reunion' panel. Since the An Evening with the Hobbits: In Celebration of 25 Years tour is still a few months away, why not watch the Lord of the Rings reunion panel from C2E2 2025 below to prepare? 

Whether you're Shirefolk, Elven, Dwarven, or something else, there's a good reason to love Lord of the Rings. We do! With that in mind, we have a dragon's horde of goodies for you:

• Lord of the Rings reading guide 
• Lord of the Rings watch guide
• The Lord of the Rings reunion panel you can watch 
• The OG Hobbit actors stay in touch every day on a groupchat 
• The true message of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, according to Gimli himself - John Rhys-Davies.