Amazon was rumored to be interested in creating their own Lord of the Rings series the past week or so. As no information about the potential for a new show was released at the time the rumors were beginning to circulate, there was speculation as to what exactly it would be about. But, now, at least we have an idea. Amazon has confirmed that they will indeed have their own iteration of the worldwide phenomenon which will be based on a period of time before the Lord of the Rings movies.
Amazon Studios has confirmed a multi-season television series for the fantasy epic. It’ll be produced by Amazon Studios, The Tolkien Estate and Trust, book publisher, HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema. A representative from the Tolkien Estate and Trust and HarperCollins, Matt Galsor, had this to say about the news surrounding the announcement:
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 [Tal Yguado, Head of Scripted Series] 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.
Considering that this new series will be based on “previously unexplored stories” from J.R.R. Tolkien, it’ll be interesting to see which avenue Amazon goes down. Most certainly not another adaption of The Hobbit or a live-action adaption of the two Middle-earth games (Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War) which have come out in the past few years; but, instead, we could be looking at a brand new project, something that has yet to be explored in any outlet of entertainment.
There’s a lot of depth to the world that J.R.R. Tolkien has created. Some elements that haven’t been delved into range from Aragorn and Arwen’s early years of love; the creation of the Rings of Power, and their influence in the world from a different perspective; and, depending on the rights Amazon is able to obtain, the series could be based on The Silmarillion or The Children of Húrin. Amazon could also dive into the Unfinished Tales or The History of Middle-earth for even more details to base their series on. Regardless of what they decide to do, they’ve got their work cut out for them.
There’s nothing confirmed–except that the show is happening–at the moment, so stay tuned for any news regarding the new Lord of the Rings series. What are your predictions? What sort of prequel do you think Amazon plans on adapting?
