LEGO has picked up the rights to some of the biggest movie properties around including Star Wars, Spider-Man, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Batman.  Now they have another big title (technically two titles) on the way: The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.  I can only begin to dream of the massive, time-consuming glory these sets will offer.  It will probably cost well over $100 for the set, but I want to spend an entire day building Helm’s Deep (I can’t confirm they’re going to offer it, but I’d be shocked it they didn’t).  But think of the possibilities: The Shire. Rivendell. Mirkwood. Rohan. Minas freaking Tirith.

Hit the jump for the press release and sound off in the comments about what you can’t wait to build.  The release of the LEGO sets is timed to coincide with the build up to the first part of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit adaptation, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which opens December 14, 2012.  Part two, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, opens December 13, 2013.

Warner Bros. has sent out a press release announcing the release date and special features for the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy.  For starters, only Fellowship of the Ring is getting a restoration, and while the regular-edition Blu-ray release proved that it needed one, it’s weak sauce that Warner Bros. isn’t bothering with cleaning up The Two Towers and Return of the King.  As for the special features, the majority are DVD-only and are being ported straight from the already-released extended editions.  The only new features are behind-the-scenes documentaries from director Costa Botes.  So essentially if you buy the Blu-ray extended editions, you’re getting 15 discs, but if you bought the original extended edition DVDs, you already own two-fifths of this “new” set.  And what’s the price tag on this bad boy? $119.98 SRP.

Hit the jump to check out the list of special features.  The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy hits stores on June 28th. Click here to pre-order it.

When The Lord of the Rings was released on Blu-ray last year, many fans were upset that only the theatrical versions were hitting Blu-ray and not the extended editions.  I didn’t have a problem with the release since I love the theatrical versions and wanted to see them in high definition (unfortunately, the transfers were only mediocre and Peter Jackson said he wasn’t involved with the Blu-ray).

But now those unhappy fans can be sated as Warner Bros. has announced The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Limited Extended Edition + Digital Copy) on Blu-ray.  Like the theatrical Blu-ray, the Limited Extended Edition will come with digital copies.  Also like the theatrical Blu-ray, it looks like all of the special features have been ported over from the DVD with no new additions.  There’s no word if Peter Jackson oversaw this transfer, but seeing as he’s been busy with The Hobbit, I doubt it.  Click here to pre-order The Lord of the Rings: Limited Extended Edition , which is due out in 2011 or 2012 according to Amazon (most likely late this year).  Hit the jump for a full list of the special features.

Some folks last year were dismayed that Warner Bros released no-frills, theatrical-version-only Blu-rays for Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  They complained they were being ripped off by a product no one was forcing them to buy.  But with The Hobbit finally moving forward and Warner Bros. wanting to put Middle-Earth back in the minds of audiences, it looks like the Extended Editions might be on the way.  The Digital Bits reports that they have sources at Warner Home Video and New Line Cinema saying that Warner Bros. is planning to release The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Extended Editions on Blu-ray this year.  It’s currently unknown whether these editions will have new special features or if Peter Jackson will oversee the transfers.  If I had to guess, I would say these Blu-rays will have the same special features as the DVDs and if we’re getting more LOTR special features, it probably won’t be until there’s an “Ultimate” set which also includes The Hobbit.

The Digital Bits says to expect an announcement on the Extended Edition Blu-rays in the next several weeks along with an Blu-ray announcement for Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita and Barry Lyndon.