After rumors began circulating earlier this month, Amazon today made a groundbreaking announcement about future adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s highly influential mythology.
The official press release from Amazon has more details.
Amazon today announced it has acquired the global television rights to The Lord of the Rings, based on the celebrated fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, with a multi-season commitment. The upcoming Amazon Prime Original will be produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment.“The Lord of the Rings is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen,” said Sharon Tal Yguado, Head of Scripted Series, Amazon Studios. “We are honored to be working with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking The Lord of the Rings fans on a new epic journey in Middle Earth.
Little is known about the content of the future series, besides that it will “explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s TheFellowship of the Ring.”
There are numerous possibilities for this new series (and potential spin-offs that are written into the agreement), including an exploration of Tolkien’s Silmarillion, anentire backstory Tolkien wrote that lays the mythological framework for the Lord of the Rings.
The news from Amazon also comes on the heels of a new Tolkien biopic currently being filmed with a release date in the next year.
Whatever the result will be, Amazon is capitalizing on the immense success the Lord of the Rings series had at the box office. Peter Jackson’s original film trilogy was nominated for 30 Academy Awards, winning Best Picture for The Return of the King, the first (and only) fantasy film ever to win that award. In addition, the number of Oscars the film won in 2004 (11) tied it with previous record holders Titanic and Ben-Hur. All films combined brought in about $6 billon worldwide.
Read more:
J.R.R. Tolkien’s fascinating description of purgatory
Read more:
Listen to rare recordings of J.R.R. Tolkien reading ‘The Lord of the Rings’
And today we celebrate...