Amazon's "Lord of the Rings" series

[TheDarkKnight]

http://deadline.com/2017/11/amazon-t...nt-1202207065/

In its quest to launch a hit fantasy series of the Game of Thrones caliber, Amazon has closed a massive deal — said to be close to $250 million — to acquire global TV rights to The Lord of the Rings, based on the fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien. The streaming service has given a multi-season commitment to a LOTR series in the pact, which also includes a potential spinoff series.

That 250 million is just for the rights. That's not including actually making the damn show(s).

What a ludicrous idea, but I hope it works. I just wish Amazon had invested in some IP that don't already have six films to them, no matter how we may feel about half of them.

[Condottiere 40K]

Christopher is going to drop dead some day, at which point there may be no restraint on how the source material may be licensed out by the estate.

Also, unlike Disney, might not be able to retain perpetual copyright.

Amazon needs brands and mindshare; at some point, I'm sure Forty Kay and Warhammer IP will get televised in a major deal, though not at a quarter of a billion bucks.

[Godfrey I of Leuven]

I'm not sure how I feel about this news after The Hobbit trilogy; particularly the spinoff series part scares me a bit. Ah well, what can one do except wait and see.

I'd kill for a 40K TV-show, though.

[lolIsuck]

Lets keep to the topic please.

[chriscase]

Does LotR really need another big budget treatment? I mean, Peter Jackson's done the definitive rendition as far as I can tell. There are so many other stories that could use this...

[lolIsuck]

Well, they seem to want to focus on events before the Fellowship of the Ring, which to me sounds like an Aragorn origin story, possibly interwoven with Gandalf's search for info on the Ring, as that's the only thing they really have some information on. I'm curious whether they consider the LotR and Hobbit films as canon for this series.

[chriscase]

Yeah I can’t tell how much overlap they are planning on. I guess my disappointment comes because one thing SOIF did was prove that something *other* than LotR can be a big budget smash epic on the screen. What this seems to be saying is that we are out of new ideas and have to do a 180 on that. I suppose in practice if it’s successful then maybe we’ll get more leeway to try other, lesser known fantasy epics.

[Godfrey I of Leuven]

I think that fantasy movies and series require de facto a higher budget than your average fiction. You want that dragon or troll to look as realistic as possible, so I wouldn't be surprised if they went with the latest CGI technology. That being said, I was no fan of the CGI-generated orcs and goblins in The Hobbit; the make-up in The Lord of the Rings was far more convincing. However, the question remains what is cheapest anno 2017.

[athanaric]

Does LotR really need another big budget treatment? I mean, Peter Jackson's done the definitive rendition as far as I can tell.

Not as far as I can tell. Sure, overcoming the impression of PJ's movie trilogy and establishing one's own interpretation as equal or even better will be a daunting task for anyone. But it's not impossible, because as good as those movies were, they do have their flaws (cinematically speaking, too) and don't perfectly align with the source material.

There are so many other stories that could use this...

Call me a fantasy hater and ignoramus, but other than LotR and possibly ASoIaF, what other legitimately intersting fantasy worlds are out there that don't suffer from at least one of the following flaws:

- blatantly unoriginal (like the gazillion LotR ripoffs), always drawing from the same few sources of inspiration
- badly written, with cheesy fantasy languages/names and clichés etc.
- laughable and inconsistent abuse of physics and other basic parameters
- ugly, lifeless dystopia where nobody would want to live (that alone should exclude many, if not most works)
- dripping with barely concealed ideology (including religious propaganda)

... and probably a few more issues I've forgotten to list?

Well, they seem to want to focus on events before the Fellowship of the Ring, which to me sounds like an Aragorn origin story, possibly interwoven with Gandalf's search for info on the Ring, as that's the only thing they really have some information on. I'm curious whether they consider the LotR and Hobbit films as canon for this series.

Personally, I hope they leave the PJ-verse alone and do their own interpretation. The actors from the previous LotR movies (filmed almost twenty years ago ) aren't getting any younger, so any prequels featuring them would be awkward anyway.

Yeah I can’t tell how much overlap they are planning on. I guess my disappointment comes because one thing SOIF did was prove that something *other* than LotR can be a big budget smash epic on the screen. What this seems to be saying is that we are out of new ideas and have to do a 180 on that. I suppose in practice if it’s successful then maybe we’ll get more leeway to try other, lesser known fantasy epics.

Judging by the examples of Westerns and superhero movies, we haven't reached peak fantasy yet...

[chriscase]

Call me a fantasy hater and ignoramus, but other than LotR and possibly ASoIaF, what other legitimately intersting fantasy worlds are out there that don't suffer from at least one of the following flaws:

- blatantly unoriginal (like the gazillion LotR ripoffs), always drawing from the same few sources of inspiration
- badly written, with cheesy fantasy languages/names and clichés etc.
- laughable and inconsistent abuse of physics and other basic parameters
- ugly, lifeless dystopia where nobody would want to live (that alone should exclude many, if not most works)
- dripping with barely concealed ideology (including religious propaganda)

... and probably a few more issues I've forgotten to list?

Well I think your standards may be stringent enough here to arguably exclude any series, including SOIF. My standards are quite a bit simpler, namely that the world needs to be interesting enough for me to want to return to it, and the characters and story need to be engaging enough for me to care about them.

I always thought that Jordan’s Wheel of Time would get a big budget treatment, given how he was able to pull bits from so many sources and make a world that seemed a lot more original than it was. I would still hold out for that, though it’s not on my list of little-known gems that really ought to get high production.

I'd love to see a number of works by Roger Zelazny or Phillip Jose Farmer turned into big-budget epics. My first picks would be the Amber series and World of Tiers. I know Syfy tried to do Riverworld but they totally botched it. Patricia McKillip's Riddlemaster series is original and very well put together. I could even go for Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

[Almogaver]

I see a lot of negativity here. I blame those dreadful The Hobbit movies. I am actually excited for this and I hope the characters and setting they choose to explore are interesting enough. What about the adventures of a Dunedain silently protecting the Shire and the lost realm of Arnor from marauding orcs and goblins? The epicness of hard, ungrateful, unsung yet necessary and honorable work.

[HannibalExMachina]

I'm not sure how I feel about this news after The Hobbit trilogy; particularly the spinoff series part scares me a bit. Ah well, what can one do except wait and see.

I'd kill for a 40K TV-show, though.

same. make it a gaunts ghosts one, and bobs your uncle: not a lot of space marines that are difficult and expensive to portray, and may put non-fans off, but centered around well developed human characters that are not just a bunch of americanized dude bros. well rounded female characters later on, even a black regiment, and who wouldnt want to see a bunch of scotsmen in spaaaace.

stories about soldiers go well, esp in the US market, great author that has been on bestselling lists, has cred with comic book fans as well, lots of material for a bunch of seasons. even spin offs.

but yeah, pete shouldnt have tried to lotrfy the hobbit. it couldve been a great bookend to round out that part of his career, but he couldnt let it well enough alone.

so, what story would they adapt now? there is not really much to work with, the simarillion is a chronicle with a few stories thrown in.

im not so wild about them coming up with their own stories either, the shadow of mordor games are a perfect example of how to turn LOTR into generic fantasy shlock.

speaking about shlock, ive got my own pitch:

50 Shades of Gandalf the Grey

Tagline:

Where there's a whip, there's a way.

Synopsis:

During the First Age Gandalf the Grey, then known as Olorin, is involved in a tempestous relationship with the Maia that would later become infamous as Durin's Bane. As the power of Melkor grows, the Maiar must choose their allegiance. Olorin himself is riven between his loyalty to the Valar and his passion for the fire made shadow, as his lover is drawn ever closer to the fathomless Abyss that is the Dark Lord.....

as far as slashfiction goes, i think this is pretty solid!

[Niles Crane]

There are plenty of great stories to be told, sure, but given the limitations of the source material they have the rights to, it's just going to end up being fan fiction. That said, obviously I'll watch it.

[MegaDinoX]

Could epic Balin's campaign be in it? Would love to see that.

[Morifea]

50 Shades of Gandalf the Grey

Tagline:

Where there's a whip, there's a way.

Synopsis:

During the First Age Gandalf the Grey, then known as Olorin, is involved in a tempestous relationship with the Maia that would later become infamous as Durin's Bane. As the power of Melkor grows, the Maiar must choose their allegiance. Olorin himself is riven between his loyalty to the Valar and his passion for the fire made shadow, as his lover is drawn ever closer to the fathomless Abyss that is the Dark Lord.....

as far as slashfiction goes, i think this is pretty solid!

Cast Chris Hemsworth for the Gandalf part and most women would storm the Theatres.

[TheDarkKnight]

I'm not sure how restricted they will be on the rights if the Tolkien Estate is directly involved in this one. Maybe if they prove they won't "trash" Tolkien's vision then his son will allow further adaptations.

[Condottiere 40K]

In the end it will be fanfiction.

I do think it will be pseudohistorically accurate in relationship to how events unfold, but the journey which we'll experience getting there will be made up.

[athanaric]

Well I think your standards may be stringent enough here to arguably exclude any series, including SOIF. My standards are quite a bit simpler, namely that the world needs to be interesting enough for me to want to return to it, and the characters and story need to be engaging enough for me to care about them.

I always thought that Jordan’s Wheel of Time would get a big budget treatment, given how he was able to pull bits from so many sources and make a world that seemed a lot more original than it was. I would still hold out for that, though it’s not on my list of little-known gems that really ought to get high production.

I'd love to see a number of works by Roger Zelazny or Phillip Jose Farmer turned into big-budget epics. My first picks would be the Amber series and World of Tiers. I know Syfy tried to do Riverworld but they totally botched it. Patricia McKillip's Riddlemaster series is original and very well put together. I could even go for Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

Fair enough, I can't remember reading any of these. I'm just skeptical because any fantasy novels I've read so far, not to mention movies, just doesn't compare to Tolkien.

Cast Chris Hemsworth for the Gandalf part and most women would storm the Theatres.

Don't forget Ryan Gosling as his love interest...

[Condottiere 40K]

Why there is no adultery in the Shire.

The legend of Loretta Hobbit.

[Godfrey I of Leuven]

Cast Chris Hemsworth for the Gandalf part and most women would storm the Theatres.

The only right choice for a younger Gandalf is Varg Vikernes. I wonder if they'll use the same armour as in LotR. I was really fond of the Easterlings and Uruks.