Elijah Wood also starred in The Ice Storm

Making the announcement of the debut, a spokeswoman for New Line Cinema said further details about the long-awaited films were not available.

A 25-minute clip was shown to cast members, film industry insiders and journalists at a chateau outside Cannes during the annual film festival in May.

US actor Elijah Wood, who plays the film's diminutive hero Frodo Baggins, launched the films international fan club this week.

"I have been amazed by how many people have been impacted by this story and how much they care about it at a deep emotional level," he said.

More than 350 million hits were recorded at the film's official website within three months of its launch.

Sales of Tolkien's novels have soared

Tolkien's The Hobbit, written in 1937, was a prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

It introduced the world to peace-loving creatures called hobbits or halflings, who live in The Shire.

The Lord of the Rings tells the story of how the hobbit Frodo seeks to protect a magic and much sought-after ring.

The novel is regularly listed in surveys of the most popular books in Britain.

More than 20 years ago, an animated film version of the first of the Lord of the Rings books was released.

Rowling: Wrote Potter books while an unemployed single parent

Meanwhile another much anticipated-premi�re, to take place on 4 November, will benefit a variety of charities.

Proceeds from ticket sales to the gala screening of the movie Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, will to One Parent Families.

An earlier screening in Potter author JK Rowling's hometown of Edinburgh will benefit the MS Society and Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre.

All are charities chosen personally by Rowling.

"I'm delighted that Warner Brothers have granted gala screenings to these three charities, as they are all close to my heart, and deserve a higher profile," she said.