Lord of the Rings TV series official at Amazon with HUGE commitment
Today, it was announced that Amazon is making a multiple-season commitment to this project, which is going to explore a number of different stories leading up to the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. Basically, this makes the show a prequel more so than The Lord of the Rings proper, which puts the project in a little more of an interesting place than a straight remake.
While it was certainly too early to go out and remake something that really is not all that old, there are some dangers in choosing to tell your viewers from the get-go “hey, we’re making a project that’s important but not as important as the events of the movies you already watched.” It remains to be seen just how canon this show ends up being to the Peter Jackson movies, given that there is something to be said for the show, if it is successful, eventually bringing its own version of the Tolkien novels to fruition. (For the record, CarterMatt thinks the odds of that are pretty low.)
In a statement, Amazon’s scripted head Sharon Tal Yguado had the following to say about making this new project happen:
“The Lord of the Rings is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen … We are honored to be working with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking The Lord of the Rings fans on a new epic journey in Middle Earth.”
Meanwhile, a representative for the Tolkien Estate and Trust / HarperCollins added the following:
“We are delighted that Amazon, with its longstanding commitment to literature, is the home of the first-ever multi-season television series for The Lord of the Rings … Sharon and the team at Amazon Studios have exceptional ideas to bring to the screen previously unexplored stories based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s original writings.”
There are already early plans for at least one spin-off based on this property, as well — there’s been talk for years of Amazon wanting to be able to have their own version of a Game of Thrones, a hit property that would convince viewers to sign up. In theory, this could be it.
Do you think that adapting Lord of the Rings for prequel stories at Amazon is the right move at this time? Share now in the comments below!
Also, take a look over here to get some other precious stories on everything we cover at CarterMatt, courtesy of our official Facebook Page. (Photo: Amazon.)