Is a Lord of the Rings TV series in the works at Amazon?
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. TV is looking to develop a new project based on this famous story. It is still in the early stages and there is now writer attached; as a matter of fact, this is so early that the Tolkien estate is not even involved in the project just yet. Nonetheless, there are interested parties and the biggest one seems to be Amazon Studios. It’s been well-documented for a while that Amazon head Jeff Bezos is interested in getting some sort of big-ticket property to bring his TV service to the next level, and this could be it. It’s a franchise name with a huge following and that could very well be enough be one that would deliver huge profits… if it’s done well.
Here’s the problem we see — it’s a risk, and a huge, expensive one for Amazon Studios. This could easily blow up in their face and if it does it may be hard for them to recover. You need the right cast, and beyond that you need the right storyteller.
Another issue here is this: How many seasons could you really make out of a Lord of the Rings TV series? Our feeling is that maybe you can stretch this out into three seasons of eight to ten episodes, but that’s really it. There were some big sequences and characters (Tom Bombadil) cut out of the Peter Jackson movies that could be added to the show; you could also address some of the interesting content that exists with Tolkien’s lore and some of the history that is there.
While we do think it’s too early and it’s going to be hard for this show to match the size and scale of the movies, it’s something that we are interested in hearing a little bit more about.
What do you think: Is a Lord of the Rings TV show something that Amazon, or any other network/streaming provider, should consider at this point? Or, is it far too early? Share now in the comments!
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