Amazon Developing The Lord of the Rings Multi Season Television Show

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DooKey

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Amazon today announced it has acquired the global television rights to The Lord of the Rings, based on the celebrated fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, with a multi-season commitment. The upcoming Amazon Prime Original will be produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment. This sounds pretty good to me. I wouldn't mind going back to Middle Earth and what it was like before the Rings. If it's as good as The Man in the High Castle then Amazon has another winner on their hands.

Set in Middle Earth, the television adaptation will explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. The deal includes a potential additional spin-off series.
 
I'd like to see an adaptation of the Dragonlance books. I enjoyed those in high school. Kind of sick of Middle Earth, but I know it has a huge following.
 
I'd certainly give it a watch. I am extremely curious what "additional story lines" they intend to follow. It might be a little awkward (the point that it might not do well) if they chose to follow the main characters like Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, and perhaps Aragorn, without the original actors. But I don't think most of the other characters would make that much of a difference. I would love to see the stories of certain topics that are just touched on in the movies/books, like what happened to Moria and such. There's definitely a lot or opportunity for content and likely quite a few spin off's, considering how detailed Tolkien was with his writing.
 
Unless they are doing this about the pre journey age, I see absolutely no reason for this.
 
Unless they are doing this about the pre journey age, I see absolutely no reason for this.
I'd bet everything on it being about the Silmarillion/Unfinished Tales era. Competes rather directly with Game of Thrones in tone, you don´t need to bring back the Hobbit-LOTR actors... maybe except Galadriel and a few others like that, and there is more than enough material for multiple seasons.
 
Lord of the Rings movies should be condemned for not having enough people of color, transgenders, and portraying white supremacy with their Gandalf....


Ppppfffffffttttt

I hope they take their time and do this series right and it won't get spoiled by diversity quota and appeasing to SJWs.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if they choose a story that ties in what is exposed in the movies, one idea is to focus on the rise and fall of Numenor. This ties well into the movies with regards to the forging of the ring and the history of Gondor and it also brings in Sauron in a more bodily form. It also hides the strength of the Valar and means the show doesnt need to bring in "basically deities" except as a sidenote.

Now the concept of Numenor being submerged as a punishment of their attack on the Valar homeland might be a bit grandiose and might be a bit too much on the nose with regards to "supplanting the gods" (science/religion).
 
Their "Man in the High Castle" series is an amazing adaptation of the book and is about to start Season 3. Hopefully, they'll be able to deliver an amazing LOTR TV series as well. The only people that could probably do it better would be HBO once they wrap up the last season of Game of Thrones.
 
I'd certainly give it a watch. I am extremely curious what "additional story lines" they intend to follow. It might be a little awkward (the point that it might not do well) if they chose to follow the main characters like Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, and perhaps Aragorn, without the original actors. But I don't think most of the other characters would make that much of a difference. I would love to see the stories of certain topics that are just touched on in the movies/books, like what happened to Moria and such. There's definitely a lot or opportunity for content and likely quite a few spin off's, considering how detailed Tolkien was with his writing.

I'm willing to bet for the right amount of cash people will again act in certain roles.
 
I just hate prequals when the actors are obviously older... go back further in time with different characters altogether, or in the slight future with the same actors
 
Don't care what anyone else said, but BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
 
IMO GoT worked for the larger masses due to it not focusing too much on the magical aspect of fantasy and is more about the intrigue. Similarly is true for LotR to a large extent, true Gandalf is a wizard but its not like the magical powers are critical and in no part is it a solution to all problems.

Therefore I think it would be a bad idea for Amazon to go too far back in the first era where beings were so powerful that the final conflict with Morgoth ran the risk of destroying Ea in its entirety.

So a focus on the Second Age would imo be ideal, forging of the rings, the intrigue around sauron and eventual war, creation of nazguls, moria established, numenor rise and fall, final conflict with sauron. The writers could also exploit the leftover forces from the First Age.
 
^ I think you mean Arda (Earth). Ea is the Universe as a whole.
 
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It would be cool to see Moria during its hight. I also hope they take a little less of a "Peter Jackson" approach - I liked the LOTR movies, but some parts where a bit nauseating (like over showing the ring, the scene were Frodo has to jump on to that ferry, etc).
Anyone catch the youtube videos about Tolkien history? CivilationEX is the publisher. one sample:
I watched these a while back - interesting and explains some of Tolkien's world.
 
I'd like to see an adaptation of the Dragonlance books. I enjoyed those in high school. Kind of sick of Middle Earth, but I know it has a huge following.
I second this. I would love to see a good Drangonlace series.
 
To say that I’m looking forward to this is an epic understatement!

All I ask is that they don’t pull the same SJW shit that Star Trek Discovery did that drove most of the fanbase away.
 
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LOTR is much better suited for the television format where they can take their time and spread the story out over multiple seasons...I would be more excited if HBO was developing this but I'll give amazon the befit of the doubt...hopefully the budget and casting are on point
 
i would like to see a wholly new story that does NOT involve any of the main characters from the books in any way, as part of the lore, of course, but not IN the story in any way

just like i would love to see a star trek series that didnt center around the federation.
 
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I'm open to it, so long as it doesn't turn out butchered like The Sword of Truth/The Legend of the Seeker...
Such a shame that they ruined that. It could have been fantastic.

Hell yes. But it was not going to be a good adaptation being on a regular tv channel. It would have had to have been on Starz or HBO or something. Not to mention they (to include Goodkind) butchered the story and writing to fit it into a series.
 
I've had my frodo fill for a while.

I'd rather see a Dark Souls show.
 
I'm in. I'll give them a chance before I offer any criticism though. It's Amazon, not the CW or MTV or ... so I'm a little more hopeful.
 
Hell yes. But it was not going to be a good adaptation being on a regular tv channel. It would have had to have been on Starz or HBO or something. Not to mention they (to include Goodkind) butchered the story and writing to fit it into a series.

...which made no sense to me. I have no idea why they had to change stuff like that from the book to the series... nothing needed changing :p and... sorry... the guy tried, but that was not the right actor for Richard. :p

Hopefully with LotR 'universe' they'll actually take their time to do it right.
 
Yawn...

Wake me when someone decides to make a series from the Malazan book of the fallen.

I'm fascinated by lotr, and all the background work tolkien did, I've read all the lost tales and unfinished stuff and the rest, but I don't think it's very good material for TV adoption. The only way this can be any good if they only use the world and come up with completely new characters and stories.
 
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