Tolkien General Discussion II

[Aexodus]

Wut

[AmrothForGondor]

Its going to be another lore-rape like Shadow of War.

[♔atthias♔]

Its going to be another lore-rape like Shadow of War.

after seeing the hobbit films I hope that christopher says no unless they stay close to the source material

[lolIsuck]

Well, seeing as the Amazon CEO is supposedly a big LotR fan and they are talking with the Tolkien Estate as well I'd say they're not aiming for some massive lore-rape.

[Aexodus]

Hopefully they go for something that's even more lore-based and detailed than the movies, hence the motivation for a tv series?

[Celtic Magister]

Hopefully they go for something that's even more lore-based and detailed than the movies, hence the motivation for a tv series?

Just my opinion on the matter, but I doubt a TV Series would actually work for LOTR, there would either be too much deviation from the source material and lore for the sake of appealing to a wider audience, or it'd be great for about one seasons before the producers run out of ideas. Even worse, the TV Series might be inundated with what's considered "trendy" in Hollywood movie production now.

With that said, it would probably work if the series was made by an English or Eastern European/Russian producer, but not here in the U.S where most series end up as described above. It's the reason the Hobbit films went as far as they did from the books to begin with.

[Mhaedros]

Honestly I think this is a good idea in princinple, but knowing Warner Bros it's not looking too great. Amazon, however, has a pretty good track record of book to TV adaptations; American Gods is one of the best TV series of the year. It's all going to be about who the producers are, and how much they know and love the source material.

[AmrothForGondor]

At least, I hope they show the Grey Company and Gondor arriving in the Pelennor.

[Aexodus]

Will it be more of a 'backstory' kind of show with the stories of some of the more minor characters you reckon? E.g. Events up to Éomer being banished, and more on what he got up to until the battle of the hornburg? Or the fall of Gondor's influence in the Morannon etc (even though yes, that has been done I guess in Shadow of Mordor)

[alreadyded]

I am guessing they will want to remake the first movies and just add some stuff that got cut out/changed mainly due to time constraints and the books just not translating to an evenly paced entertaining movie. Amazon's intentions are to reach as broad an audience as possible, those first three very popular movies are the best way, really the only way I think to do that safely. I don't know if anything else, even the First Age, would appeal to enough people that only like LOTR for the movie (the overwhelming majority) not the books. The Hobbit movies took a little lore and stretched it a lot and so would any other period. The Hobbit movies relied on the popularity of the first three movies as well with minimal risk so I don't see why anything else wouldn't.

Considering the extended versions come out to over 10 hours of content that already is a series with only one season. I thought the movies did a good job of appealing to broad audiences like lore accurate versions never could (I don't think I would even like it) so I would expect Amazon to do no different in the end, just a bit more of it.

[athanaric]

The hardest challenge might actually be to find a design and art style that doesn't make them look either like a ripoff version of the movie trilogie or like an acid trip. Or of course like the many Cheapo McCrapdesign fantasy movies (e.g. Dungeons and Dragons...) that preceded the LotR trilogy. I think the best choice here would be to be even more realistic and lore-accurate in design than the trilogy, with a soundtrack more in the mold of Rome and Game of Thrones, or... change the setting entirely and have the series take place in a sci fi environment or something.

[AmrothForGondor]

Its confirmed http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix....cle&ID=2316587
"Set in Middle Earth, the television adaptation will explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s TheFellowship of the Ring. The deal includes a potential additional spin-off series." So it looks like the will use stories from the Appendices.

[Ngugi]

or... change the setting entirely and have the series take place in a sci fi environment or something.

Gandalf the Space Wizard, Robo-Sam, the pilots of Rohan, The Prancing Extraterrestrial, the Galactic Empire of M.O.R.D.O.R.
Strangley compelling

[Araval]

Well, I'm at least a bit relieved that they won't be remaking LotR.

[lolIsuck]

So probably an Aragorn origin story? There isn't much else to go with.

[Aexodus]

So probably an Aragorn origin story? There isn't much else to go with.

Id be up for that actually. A closer look at Imladris, maybe Hugo Weaving can return??? Wishful thinking for a TV show maybe, and he did do the hobbit movies as well.

[Araval]

So probably an Aragorn origin story? There isn't much else to go with.

I agree that this may be the most likely and most extensive series but I think it would be interesting to see even if only one season series of what happens between the Hobbit and LotR in Balin's, Saruman's and Gollum's point of view.

[Celtic Magister]

So probably an Aragorn origin story? There isn't much else to go with.

Aragorn traveled to all sorts of places in Middle Earth so it'd probably be the best idea next to Legolas and Gimli's stories. Aragorn has been to Rhun and Harad both, and it'd certainly be nice to see more about the two places. Rhun was probably the least explored major location in Tolkien's writings.

change the setting entirely and have the series take place in a sci fi environment or something.

Don't give Hollywood any insane ideas like that, if you please. If the LOTR setting was ever made to work in a Sci-fi setting, it can't start with Hollywood. It would only work properly if the idea was made from the ground up by Tolkien and LOTR fans not out to make a profit or further a political opinion.

[♔atthias♔]

bigger canche we get hobbit like stuff due this
https://www.reddit.com/r/lotr/commen...s_director_of/

[Beorn]

It may come as a surprise for the oldest guys around the forum like Ngugi, but I'm not negative to the idea of a new perspective on the events of the late Third Age. Provided that PJ isn't involved