LOTR TV series @ Amazon

tjg_marantz · Post by **tjg_marantz** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 3:09 pm

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/amp/li ... on-1057486

Multiple season commitment.

xwraith · Post by **xwraith** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:09 pm

*reads between the lines*

Does this mean we get the Silmarillion?

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:29 pm

Ugh, prequels. Pass.

Jolor · Post by **Jolor** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:33 pm

Oh. Great.

Hobbit sex.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:41 pm

NickAragua wrote: Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:29 pm Ugh, prequels. Pass.

You want to see what dystopia that the Fourth Age, the Age of Man, issues in?

pr0ner · Post by **pr0ner** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:50 pm

Jolor wrote: Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:33 pm Oh. Great.

Hobbit sex.

This isn't HBO.

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:09 pm

Amazon is paying $200 Million just for the rights. Add another $100 Million or more per season for production. Good luck!

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:27 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:41 pm
NickAragua wrote: Mon Nov 13, 2017 4:29 pm Ugh, prequels. Pass.
You want to see what dystopia that the Fourth Age, the Age of Man, issues in?

Wasn't there a russian "unofficial fan fiction" book along that theme?

Hell yeah. As it turns out, humans and orcs get along just fine without a dark lord to drive the orcs. Well, other than the continued wars and slavery. A few hundred years down the line, the elves, having gotten fed up with the mortals' bullshit, come back to lay the smack down. The hobbits are caught in the middle and must carry out an epic quest to bring peace to Middle Earth by finding some kind of McGuffin to placate the wrathful elder races. On their way, they meet up with like-minded fellows, including:
- a dwarf who's not fixated on gold or reclaiming his ancestral homelands or revenge for some ancient insult and actually likes being outside
- a hobbit who starts out being super eager for adventure then decides he wants to go home and enjoy his third breakfasts
- an Uruk-Hai
- a remorseful elf who stayed behind when the white ships sailed, except it turns out that life with mortals is terrible
- what seems to be a loser peasant human who turns out to be the heir to some kingdom
- an unusually intelligent troll who also happens to be a practical joker (a troll, if you will) and also a budding wizard.

Ultimately, they discover that the magic was inside them all along, but that doesn't really help stop the war, setting up the sequel.

Featuring Aragorn IV, Legolas, Gimli Jr. and introducing TROLLMASTER G.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 6:52 pm

A prequel, and Warner Bros is involved?

I wonder who they'll cast as Talion...

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:17 pm

I’d like to see what hijinxs the Blue wizards got into in their adventures in the East.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:35 pm

Moliere wrote: Mon Nov 13, 2017 5:09 pm Amazon is paying $200 Million just for the rights. Add another $100 Million or more per season for production. Good luck!

Bezos had that in the office petty cash drawer.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:39 pm

If they can somehow cast Gilbert Gottfried as Tom Bombadil, I'm totally down.

But seriously, I'm not completely certain, but I believe when I played MERP in high school, the GM set the campaign before the events of even the Hobbit. It's all a bit fuzzy and I'm not really a Tolkien nerd, so I'd need RM9 to confirm it. My point being was that there was so much stuff to do and see. I think I'd actually be more interested in them doing a prequel than something concurrent or after (is that even possible?).

Grundbegriff · Post by **Grundbegriff** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 10:16 pm

If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Bezos will see it done.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 10:28 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Mon Nov 13, 2017 9:39 pm If they can somehow cast Gilbert Gottfried as Tom Bombadil, I'm totally down.

He’ll leave a light on for you.

Wait..

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 11:09 pm

The prequel to the LOTR is the Hobbit.
Is this going to a prequel to this too?

Punisher · Post by **Punisher** » Tue Nov 14, 2017 1:01 am

dbt1949 wrote: Mon Nov 13, 2017 11:09 pm The prequel to the LOTR is the Hobbit.
Is this going to a prequel to this too?

It's after the hobbit and before LOTR.. It tells the tale of how bilbo secretly built the rings weakness to mount doom and the group that escapes with these plans the information on the weakness.

Spoiler:

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Nov 15, 2017 8:26 pm

Changes at the top

Christopher Tolkien, son and literary heir of J.R.R. Tolkien, resigned from the Tolkien Estate. And his departure changes everything.

Christopher is 93 and just this year edited and published one of his father’s works “Beren and Luthien,” which as even casual Tolkienites know, refers to his parents with the names of those characters adorning their tombstones.
...
The settlement between Warner Bros. and the Tolkien Estate settled an $80 million lawsuit July 3. Part of the statement the studio released at the time was unusually upbeat for an entity that just paid out big money:

“The parties are pleased that they have amicably resolved this matter and look forward to working together in the future.”

The future mentioned in that statement is this week and beyond, and it was obviously in the works then. According to a U.K. government website, Christopher resigned on Aug. 31. One would expect formal resignations of this nature take time to manage legally, so it also was in the works for some time I suspect. What I wouldn’t give to have been in the room for that passing of the torch.

So in quick fashion, after the seismic change, the estate has sold the television rights for book “The Lord of the Rings.” Warners paid the court dispute so there would be a relationship moving forward and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos rewarded both entities handsomely.
...
The new leadership of the estate seem much more willing to deal Tolkien properties than Christopher was and this confirms my well placed sources.

This opens up Tolkien and Middle-earth as possible franchises in the same way that Harry Potter’s world is a place you can visit at Universal Studios or that Disney will soon have a Star Wars area. There are few properties in the world that can be talked about in the same way as Middle-earth. Warner Bros. see the value and so does Amazon.

Jaymon · Post by **Jaymon** » Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:38 am

There has always been a couple of things I was interested in, and wouldn't mind watching on TV.

At the end of the hobbit, Bilbo, Gandalf, and Beorn travel together. They have adventures and hardships, eventually Beorn returns home and Gandalf escorts Bilbo back to the Shire.

Aragorn was a young man at Rivendell during the hobbit. he had a lot of adventures, many with elves, and he even went through Moria. Gandalf even had him walking the length of Middle earth searching for Golumn. And thats the stuff that turned him into a bad ass Ranger.

Speaking of Moria, sometime between Hobbit and LOTR, Dain tried to reclaim Moria. We all know how it turned out in the end.

Faramir and the rest of his gang fight an extended guerrilla war against the forces marching into and out of Mordor. Spies, intrigue, secret bases. it sounds very exciting.

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Tue Nov 21, 2017 1:15 pm

Elves, Balrogs, and Nazgûl: 16 Possible Plots for the Lord of the Rings TV Series

Dwarves!
The Númenóreans.
The Elves (specifically the Noldor).
The creation of the Rings of Power.
The Nazgûl origin story.
The Fall of Númenór.
The Last Alliance of Elves and Men.
When the Dwarves in Moria finally delve “too deep”—and rouse the Balrog.
The Witch-King of Angmar.
Almost anything involving the Easterlings and the Haradrim.
Elrond’s romance with Celebrían.
The adventures of the Istari!
Círdan the goddamned Shipwright!
Young Aragorn meeting Gandalf, and their adventures together.
Two words: Tom Bombadil.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Tue Nov 21, 2017 3:21 pm

I just hope they change the look up. I'm really tired of Peter Jackson LOtR.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Nov 22, 2017 4:04 am

The arousal of the Balrog?! Yes, please.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Wed Nov 22, 2017 9:26 am

Carpet_pissr wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 4:04 am The arousal of the Balrog?! Yes, please.

Balrog porn? No thanks!

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Wed Nov 22, 2017 9:49 am

rshetts2 wrote:
Carpet_pissr wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 4:04 am The arousal of the Balrog?! Yes, please.
Balrog porn? No thanks!

With dwarves to boot. I'm sure there would be a lot of "mining the depths of Moria" in that movie. Not that I'm judging if that's your thing.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Nov 22, 2017 11:14 am

Pyperkub wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2017 3:21 pm I just hope they change the look up. I'm really tired of Peter Jackson LOtR.

Agreed. All this CGI wizardry is puppies. Would it kill them to use sock puppets for a change?

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Nov 22, 2017 11:26 am

rshetts2 wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 9:26 am
Carpet_pissr wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 4:04 am The arousal of the Balrog?! Yes, please.
Balrog porn? No thanks!

Do you find Animal Planet documentaries on the mating habits of various critters to be porn? That's pretty weird if you do.

I would find an episode that is nothing but a documentary on the life cycle of a balrog (including mating, social, and parental habits) to be utterly fascinating. Note that balrogs don't necessarily need to have sexual reproduction (assuming Tolkien didn't leave notes to the contrary).

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Jun 04, 2018 10:32 am

Five seasons (and three movies!)

We already know that Amazon bought a new Lord of the Rings series for a quarter-billion dollars. We also know that the production itself will end up costing a cool $1 billion.

The first season won't be all about Hobbits and orcs, though—it will definitely be about Aragorn, aka Strider, played by Viggo Mortensen in the movies.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:00 pm

https://twitter.com/LOTRonPrime/status/ ... 85/photo/1

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:15 pm

What am I missing about that map?

When I follow the link and expand it, it's pretty bare. It looks like the book map with all the words stripped off.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:21 pm

Donna got Prime around Oct last year. I was forced to drop it for money reasons. Figures. I wish she was here to still watch it.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:25 pm

Holman wrote: Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:15 pm What am I missing about that map?

Gotta use that nerd brain to puzzle it out.

More questions than answers, so far, but one sharp-eyed fan already noted that the “map shows Middle-earth post-War of Wrath since Beleriand isn’t on it, meaning the show takes place in the Second of Third Age.” That geo-political logic of that observation seems sound to us. (It’s the equivalent of noting a European map that shows the Soviet Union is most likely of a 1922-1991 vintage…)

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:39 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:25 pm
Holman wrote: Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:15 pm What am I missing about that map?
Gotta use that nerd brain to puzzle it out.

More questions than answers, so far, but one sharp-eyed fan already noted that the “map shows Middle-earth post-War of Wrath since Beleriand isn’t on it, meaning the show takes place in the Second of Third Age.” That geo-political logic of that observation seems sound to us. (It’s the equivalent of noting a European map that shows the Soviet Union is most likely of a 1922-1991 vintage…)

That's like noticing that California has dropped off a post-San-Andreas USA map (except that The Silmarillion's Beleriand is like a California half the size of Canada).

The geography is LOTR, just with the political and social indicators missing. If the series features Aragon, it's obviously Third Age, since he was born almost 3,000 years into the TA.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:43 pm

I dunno. I'll let LotR fans obsess over the details. I wish I could claim street-cred with Tolkein's work, but I honestly never enjoyed his books. He was an excellent world-builder, but I found his characters to be...meh. Regardless, I'm excited to see what Amazon does with all this and if they're going to drop hints, I'll certainly follow along.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Tue Feb 19, 2019 7:34 pm

Start of a thread.

https://twitter.com/theoneringnet/statu ... 6889149441

Apparently the empty map was just a start. Apparently they're gradually filling it in.

The deep nerds are debating whether we're seeing a 2nd Age or 3rd Age start teased.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Mar 07, 2019 6:09 pm

Takes place during the Second Age:

Amazon confirmed that the Lord of the Rings series will be set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, which is the era when the Rings of Power were first created and the evil Sauron first rose to power. But what does the Isle of Numenor have to do with that?

The Isle of Numenor is a mythic lost civilization (J.R.R. Tolkien intended it as an allusion to Atlantis) from whom the great men of Gondor are descended. Separated by the Great Sea from the continent known as Middle-earth, Numenor housed the apotheosis of the human race: they were physically perfect and lived three times as long as the average human. Aragorn, who is at the ripe age of 87 during the events of Lord of the Rings in the Third Age, is descended from one of the great kings of Numenor and is one of the few that retain pure Numenorean blood.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Thu Mar 07, 2019 6:33 pm

I'm sure Amazon's timing this to try to get everyone who is going to be hung over from the end of Game of Thrones.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Thu Mar 07, 2019 7:03 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Thu Mar 07, 2019 6:09 pm Takes place during the Second Age:

Amazon confirmed that the Lord of the Rings series will be set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, which is the era when the Rings of Power were first created and the evil Sauron first rose to power. But what does the Isle of Numenor have to do with that?

The Isle of Numenor is a mythic lost civilization (J.R.R. Tolkien intended it as an allusion to Atlantis) from whom the great men of Gondor are descended. Separated by the Great Sea from the continent known as Middle-earth, Numenor housed the apotheosis of the human race: they were physically perfect and lived three times as long as the average human. Aragorn, who is at the ripe age of 87 during the events of Lord of the Rings in the Third Age, is descended from one of the great kings of Numenor and is one of the few that retain pure Numenorean blood.

Came here to post this. The addition of Numenor to the map nails it, since it was sunk beneath the waves in the Second Age.

I've actually read The Silmarillion twice, but I still find it pretty dry and lifeless as storytelling. Presumably the new drama will need to beef it all up with personalities and action that will feel alien to the lifelong Tolkien fanboys. I expect controversy.

EDIT: I haven't read the later Christopher Tolkien volumes. Do they focus on the 2nd Age? Are they the script here?

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 9:51 pm

First casting decision revealed...maybe:

Variety has learned from multiple sources that Markella Kavenagh is in talks for a role in the upcoming epic fantasy series. Details of Kavenagh’s characters are being kept under wraps, but sources say she would be playing a character named Tyra.

Kavenagh is known for having previously starred in the sequel series to the Australian film “Romper Stomper” as well as for roles in the shows “Picnic at Hanging Rock” and “The Cry.” She is repped by Silver Lining Entertainment.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Jul 22, 2019 10:00 pm

Numenor housed the apotheosis of the human race: they were physically perfect and lived three times as long as the average human

They aged and died so not quite perfect.

EDIT: Bet they typed better than me .

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Tue Jul 30, 2019 10:42 am

The big drama of Numenor is that Sauron seduces its rulers to the Dark Side of the Force, even leading them to attempt an invasion of the far Western Undying Lands across the sea. The island is eventually sunk beneath the waves with some Numenoreans escaping and making it to mainland Middle-earth.

Sauron at this time is a seductive and beautiful superhero rather than a giant eye and shadow, so he could easily be a main character with dialogue and everything.

Fun fact: in early versions of his writing, JRRT imagined the Numenoreans as having almost 19th-century levels of technology, complete with steam-powered battleships. This dropped away in published versions.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:42 pm

First update in a long time:

Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.