The WB Network will air the first Lord of the Rings movie in high definition format during the November sweeps. The film's production company, New Line Cinema and the WB network are both units of the same parent company, Time Warner.

The other two films in the series will be transmitted in the fall of 2005 and 2006 respectively. They will also air in HDTV.

"The WB made a huge bet on this franchise a couple of years back and that has paid off in a way we never dreamed," said Jordan Levin, co-CEO of The WB. "The films share so many elements with our brand - youthful, fantasy entertainment with a strong dose of empowerment - and will enable us to create event programming that can platform important series for us."