Amazon's 'Lord of the Rings' TV show can't contradict Tolkien's lore

Georgina Torbet - endgadget


https://i.imgur.com/wcJ0Jbqh.png

Amazon's upcoming Lord of the Rings show will stick closely to the canon and history established by Tolkien, a consultant working on the project has revealed.

"The Tolkien estate will insist that the main shape of the Second Age is not altered," Tolkien scholar and series supervisor Tom Shippey told the German Tolkien Society. During this period, Sauron tries to reform Middle-earth for the better but falls into evil, becoming a powerful and oppressive ruler. "Sauron invades Eriador, is forced back by a Númenorean expedition, returns to Númenor. There he corrupts the Númenoreans and seduces them to break the ban of the Valar. All this, the course of history, must remain the same."

Shippey points out that although the broad strokes of the history of the Second Age are established, there are plenty of unanswered questions about the events of the period, such as what Sauron did after the fall of Morgoth. Amazon can take creative license to create its own story within this history, as long as it doesn't contradict Tolkien's writings.

The Tolkien estate maintains power of veto over any content in the show, Shippey says, and is willing to nix anything that doesn't fit with Tolkien's vision. The First Age and the Third Age of Middle-earth (in which the books are set) are both "off-limits" to the TV show, so don't expect to see hobbits, Gondorians or many familiar faces in the new adaptation.

Shippey also reports that Amazon hopes to premiere the series in 2021, but it is still early in the production cycle so this date could be pushed back.

:-k

I wonder why the Estate nixed anything to do with the First Age.

"..so don't expect to see hobbits, Gondorians or many familiar faces in the new adaptation."

And don't expect the full fanbase to watch :tup:

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Originally Posted by Hal-9000

"..so don't expect to see hobbits, Gondorians or many familiar faces in the new adaptation."

And don't expect the full fanbase to watch :tup:

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That story's already been told. They're telling the Second Age stories. The Final fall of Morgoth, the fall of Sauron, the forging of the rings, and everything in between. There's a lot of junk in there, if we go by what's in the Silmarillion. This could be a perpetual series.

http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Second_Age

Yeah, but to Hal's point, at least with the more casual fans that only know about this kind of stuff from the movies, they are going to be expecting hobbits and elves and orcs and such. They will be sadly disappointed.

In my opinion, the before stories from the books, even though they're not completely fleshed out like the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were, were a lot cooler. If people know that there's a before history and they're really open to watching something that just isn't rehashing out the movies that Peter Jackson already made, then they might be pleasantly surprised.

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Originally Posted by Teh One Who Knocks

Yeah, but to Hal's point, at least with the more casual fans that only know about this kind of stuff from the movies, they are going to be expecting hobbits and elves and orcs and such. They will be sadly disappointed.

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This is what I'm talking about. I've read all of Tolkien's books but most people have not. The casuals know it as a world filled with hobbits, orcs, elves and trolls.

I imagine they'll put some of the fantasy bling into it but some of the other stuff from the Silmarillion is dry and not as exciting to the public at large. I liked all of the stories but do recall parts of them being a real slog.

:x

They will love it, or they will all DIE!!!!

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Originally Posted by DemonGeminiX

In my opinion, the before stories from the books, even though they're not completely fleshed out like the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were, were a lot cooler. If people know that there's a before history and they're really open to watching something that just isn't rehashing out the movies that Peter Jackson already made, then they might be pleasantly surprised.

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I'm looking forward to that. I've always been interested in everything in the Silmarillion, Tolkien wrote such an incredible universe, but the book is so dense I just haven't ever got around to reading it. There's a ton of other wild shit in there that I'd like to see explained and flushed out that I don't know about Middle Earth. I'll definitely watch.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DemonGeminiX

In my opinion, the before stories from the books, even though they're not completely fleshed out like the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were, were a lot cooler. If people know that there's a before history and they're really open to watching something that just isn't rehashing out the movies that Peter Jackson already made, then they might be pleasantly surprised.

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Agreed. They have the opportunity to do something completely fresh here.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hal-9000

This is what I'm talking about. I've read all of Tolkien's books but most people have not. The casuals know it as a world filled with hobbits, orcs, elves and trolls.

I imagine they'll put some of the fantasy bling into it but some of the other stuff from the Silmarillion is dry and not as exciting to the public at large. I liked all of the stories but do recall parts of them being a real slog.

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Success will depend on the right team.

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Originally Posted by lost in melb.

Success will depend on the right team.

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And also the subject choice. With that huge resource to draw from they can go a thousand different ways with the who, what and why they choose to showcase.

I was and still am amazed how well the LOTR movies caught most of the tone and ideas from the Fellowship books.