I don’t know how many people are clamoring for a series based on The Lord of the Rings, but it looks like Amazon is really committed about bringing this thing to life. Here’s some new insight from The Hollywood Reporter:
“On Nov. 13, Amazon Studios beat out Netflix for a $250 million rights deal with the Tolkien estate, publisher HarperCollins and New Line Cinema that includes a five-season commitment to bring The Lord of the Rings to the small screen. With the clock ticking, Amazon must be in production within two years, according to the terms of the pact. When production expenses like casting, producers and visual effects are factored in, the series is expected to cost north of $1 billion.”
You read that right. One billion with a “B.”
It’s fairly well documented that the Tolkien Estate, or rather, Christopher Tolkien, if we’re being specific, famously dislikes the changes, alterations, and various other choices made by Peter Jackson when adapting the books to film. However, Christopher is no longer the director of the Estate, so perhaps that would explain why this show seems like it’s going to come to fruition.
Pete Jackson’s involvement, or lack thereof, is not set in stone yet, and the same goes for Harvey Weinstein, who – along with his brother – were able to sue their way into getting a piece of the pie with the first Hobbit film.
It’s been said that the series will be set before the events of The Lord of the Rings, however, nothing has been written yet. So, that is left to be seen. Maybe it could start before, and culminate into an adaptation of the trilogy in the later seasons. No one will know for a while, as deals like these take a lot of time before we even hear anything about possible writers, directors, showrunners, etc.
If this ends up being adaptations of stories we haven’t seen yet, perhaps material from The Silmarillion, then I think this venture might be something worthwhile. I love this world, and I’m always up for seeing more of it. And hopefully, it will be more of these new stories instead of retreading old ground that the films have already covered.
Does this seem like a good idea or a shameless cash grab? If you have any thoughts about this, talk about it in the comments below!