Plans are under way for a lavish musical adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, which is expected to kick off in London’s West End in 2005.

The stage show debuts on the tail end of Peter Jackson’s big-screen blockbuster trilogy--meanwhile, the Kiwi helmer has already moved on to another classic King Kong. The first two installments of New Line Cinema’s triptych The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers have grossed over $650 million in domestic box office receipts. Frodo and friends’ final chapter The Return of the King is slated for a December 17 release.