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Topps Publisher Ira Friedman Discusses "L.O.T.R. Evolution"
06/03/2005

Breaking news on the upcoming card set!

The "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy may have run its course in theaters, but the Topps trading card company hasn't left Middle-earth yet! A new set of "L.O.T.R." cards is in development, and we've got an exclusive sneak preview from Topps Publisher Ira Friedman himself!

Speaking by telephone from his office in New York, Mr. Friedman says, "We actually have one on the drawing board right now. There is a sort of preliminary title; I'm tempted to say a working title, but 'working title' would suggest that may not be the final title. There is a title that we're working with now that may indeed be the final title. That is Lord of the Rings: Evolution. It's mostly a character-based series. I think, since we're still fleshing out the details right now, I'd rather leave it at that at this point."

The word "Evolution" suggests that the cards will trace the development of the heroes and villains over the course of their lives. Friedman says, "I think that's a fair guess."

As for chase cards, he admits, "You know, it's still too early. I mean, I don't even have a release date to give you. I think it's something we'll definitely be doing."

Some of the most desired "Lord of the Rings" collectibles have come from Topps, including cards hand-signed by the cast and crew of the movies, and swatches of cloth from the costumes seen in the movie. The secondary market for these treasures has been white hot, with sealed boxes of cards shooting up all the time. Recapping Topps' association with "L.O.T.R.," Friedman says, "It was a lot of fun. The filmmakers were obviously very passionate about what they were doing and excited to be a part of the ancillary merchandise. With that said, there were issues of logistics that really made things difficult at times. Obviously, their priorities were making great movies, and rightfully so. Accordingly, when it came to things like signing cards, Peter Jackson -- as much as he had the best of intentions, and signed quite a number of cards for us -- it was tough. It was a struggle. The guy works 24-7. So, to put aside time to sign some trading cards was a real effort. But, I'm pleased to say that he ultimately came through for us on all fronts.

"So, all in all it was a terrific experience. We're thrilled to have been a part of it. So far we've put out seven different sets of 'Rings' cards and by and large, I think the fans were very pleased with them. We're continuing, as I say, to do more and we can only hope at this point (Jackson will) come back and do 'The Hobbit' at some stage of the game."

Many licensees have discovered that the popularity of "The Lord of the Rings" has created a new audience of collectors for their products. Friedman says, "I think every major property provides the opportunity to introduce newcomers to the card category. While, in this case, I think there are some similarities in the audiences between, say, 'Star Wars' and 'Lord of the Rings,' there are also some differences in those audiences. I think it would be fair to say that there were more females picking up this product than, say, a 'Star Wars' product. I think the story, the genre of fantasy more than science fiction, the cast, a lot of factors (are responsible). But, I do think many epic pop culture eventsof this sort do provide opportunities to bring newcomers to the field. Certainly this was one of them."

By Claude Flowers