The multi-year licensing agreement grants access to the library of characters, settings, and stories for "The Lord of the Rings" property, as well as the films "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," and "The Hobbit: There and Back Again"
The Lego Group has signed an agreement with Warner Bros. to make a line of Lego sets based on the popular "Lord of the Rings" series.By HOWARD FRENCH
Special to The Republican
The Lego Group has inked a deal with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to create building sets based on “The Lord of the Rings” movie trilogy and two new films based on “The Hobbit,” scheduled for release in 2012.
Lego, based in Denmark, operates its headquarters for North and South America in Enfield.
The multi-year licensing agreement grants access to the library of characters, settings, and stories for “The Lord of the Rings” property, as well as the films “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” according to Jill Wilfert, Lego’s vice president for licensing and entertainment.
The initial construction sets related to the trilogy and to the first Hobbit film — based on the works of English author J.R.R. Tolkien — are scheduled for a “rolling global launch” beginning in June 2012 in the U.S., with sets related the second new film scheduled for later in the year, Wilfert said.
“Our collaboration with Warner Bros. Consumer Products has delivered numerous
worldwide successes in the construction toy aisle with lines like Lego Harry Potter and Lego Batman, introducing us to loyal audiences who love great stories, strong characters, and the toys that they inspire,” she added.
Lego fans have been asking the company to create a line of construction sets based on the Tolkien works, Wilfert said.
Karen McTier, executive vice president for domestic licensing and worldwide marketing at Warner Bros. Consumer Products, said that “only Lego could do justice to the incredibly imaginative environments depicted in the world of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and the two films based on ‘The Hobbit.’”
Wilfert said more information about the construction sets and collectible minifigures from both collections will be unveiled at a later date at TheLordoftheRings.LEGO.com.
Lego employs 545 workers in more than 230,000 square-feet of space in several buildings at the Enfield Business Park.