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Amazon's $1 Billion 'Lord of The Rings' Series Will Run 5 Seasons

GoldenEye98

posts news as their odd job
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.

A Rings fan account learned of the details and reported that the series won't be a re-tread of the movies. It will draw from the massive pile of notes that Tolkien put together in writing the books and cover a great deal of back story.
https://www.maxim.com/entertainment/expensive-lord-of-the-rings-5-seasons-2018-6
 

OH-MyCar

Member
I'm confident that someone out there could do even better than what Peter Jackson did the first time around (and Tommy Wiseau could do better than his second outing), but I'm not very confident that someone actually will. Everything that makes Tolkien's work wonderful is almost antithetical to the current way we treat big comic book and fantasy properties.
 

finowns

Member
I'm confident that someone out there could do even better than what Peter Jackson did the first time around (and Tommy Wiseau could do better than his second outing), but I'm not very confident that someone actually will. Everything that makes Tolkien's work wonderful is almost antithetical to the current way we treat big comic book and fantasy properties.

I think the big problem is Jackson had access to some of the best actors working who's Amazon going to get? Way too easy for this to be super cheesy.

Although 200 million per season maybe they could get whoever they wanted.
 
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OH-MyCar

Member
I think the big problem is Jackson had access to some of the best actors working who's Amazon going to get? Way too easy for this to be super cheesy.

Although 200 million per season maybe they could get whoever they wanted.

Yep. There's also a lot of temptation in that realm to bring in the attractive, model type to win over the 16 year old girl with a Tumblr demographic, rather than take a good, sincere look at what would be appropriate for Middle Earth. Like I said, the way they're marketing these properties these days is a completely different animal than it was back when Jackson was doing Fellowship.

Today, most studios would cast this as Gollum if they had a choice:
images
 

Bolivar687

Banned
There is already enough material in the book itself to go five quality seasons, they don't need to look up Tolkien's notes and, in all likelihood, embellish on them to make prologues and such. Imagine if they fleshed out Frodo's journey out of the Shire, with the parts with the Elves talking about the old days, and depicting the flashbacks to it of what these legends are about, while staying within the current season.

We should all be rooting for Amazon to succeed but the Lord of the Rings will always be intended to enjoy by yourself, at your own pace, in your own reading voice. The fact that we already have three amazing movies makes this such an impossible task.
 

LordPezix

Member
I'll give amazon another billion to spend on this series just because I love LOTR.

The world, characters, and dialog are so enchanting.

It's going to be the adventures of a young Aragorn based on appendices.

So like age 59 Aragorn? lol
 
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Manus

Member
Is it supposed to be for mature audiences? I can't see them making LOTR content for adults only.
 

Durask

Member
Problem with Tolkien, if you stay true to the books, it is fairy tales with mostly male characters. There is no way you can make it into some kind of GoT type show without utterly butchering the original.
Might as well make up your own show from scratch.
Oh well as long as they keep The Expanse going I don't care that much.
 
I cant help but think that (at best), this'll be Game of Thrones without the sex and violence. Im not too interested it it now.
 

Pallas

Gold Member
Interesting in what Amazon is doing, I heard they also picked up the rights to produce Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time into a show as well.
 

llien

Member
LOTR was so astonishingly good, that I don't have high hopes for this one.

OP link doesn't work for me either.
 

Scopa

The Tribe Has Spoken
I can never get enough LotR stuff, so I am hyped for this. I just hope they give the IP the respect it deserves. 1 billion dollars invested tells me they won’t be half-arsing it. Hopefully.
 

entremet

Member
I think it will be decent. I do wonder how they will get buzz. HBO still sticks to a traditional weekly model as opposed to Netflix's and other services dumping the entire season at once. Does Amazon do weekly airings?
 
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A lord of the rings-version that appeals to the GoT-audience.


:/
Calling it out now: they have young Aragorn bang naked chicks every other episode and episodes between those is him chopping up some bad guys with ultra gore effects. And they definitely are going to sexualize the elves somehow, probably some semi-lesbian touch happy bath scenes or whatever. And then they are throwing a bone to the fans and have Tom Bombadil show up in some horrible character destroying way.
 

Scopa

The Tribe Has Spoken
Calling it out now: they have young Aragorn bang naked chicks every other episode and episodes between those is him chopping up some bad guys with ultra gore effects. And they definitely are going to sexualize the elves somehow, probably some semi-lesbian touch happy bath scenes or whatever. And then they are throwing a bone to the fans and have Tom Bombadil show up in some horrible character destroying way.
I doubt the Tolkien estate will allow them to turn it into The Lord of the Bonks. The Tolkien Estate is notoriously rigid with how they allow the use of their IP. In saying that, I’m down for your version.
 
I doubt the Tolkien estate will allow them to turn it into The Lord of the Bonks. The Tolkien Estate is notoriously rigid with how they allow the use of their IP. In saying that, I’m down for your version.
Tolkien's son who used to be the head of that estate has stepped down and that is rumored to be the reason amazon was able to even get the rights to this.
 

Scopa

The Tribe Has Spoken
Tolkien's son who used to be the head of that estate has stepped down and that is rumored to be the reason amazon was able to even get the rights to this.
Really? I hadn’t heard that. That makes this deal make sense then, you’re right. I still don’t think they’ll go full GoT tittys and blood with this though. Just doesn’t suit the material, but stranger things have happened.
 
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Mr Hyde

Member
Battle of the Five Armies killed whatever excitement I had left for a new Lord of the Rings-movie. Or series.
 

JBat

Member
Interesting in what Amazon is doing, I heard they also picked up the rights to produce Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time into a show as well.
They did! Pretty sure they started filming last September. I hope they don't half ass wheel of Time because of LOTR
 

TTOOLL

Member
Amazon shows are good. It will be good.


Battle of the Five Armies killed whatever excitement I had left for a new Lord of the Rings-movie. Or series.

I'm glad I only watched the first movie and I don't even remember anything about it lol
 
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Fbh

Member
I hope it's good.
I've liked the only 2 Amazon shows I've seen (the Boys and man in the high castle) which gives me some, though I'm not sold on it being about Aragorn
 

Armorian

Banned
So it's the 2 age and Aragorn backstory? Now, I'm interested.

Edit: I really like to know how they will explain black skin people in Gondor/Rohan etc. Or perhaps they won't, The Witcher style.
 
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