Tolkien Family In Talks To Sell LOTR TV Rights
- Elwindil
- Silent Watcher over the Peaceful Lands
- Posts: 201
- Joined: Sun Dec 01, 2013 6:34 am
- Location: Kansas
Re: Tolkien Family In Talks To Sell LOTR TV Rights
don't forget the Really Wise Old Dude that's only there for like, two episodes but somehow EVERYONE like EVERYWHERE somehow knows exactly who he is, despite the fact that he's never even been there.
- Peter Remling
- Athel Dunedain
- Posts: 3744
- Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:20 am
Re: Tolkien Family In Talks To Sell LOTR TV Rights
Wow, They are modeling a character after me ?Elwindil wrote:don't forget the Really Wise Old Dude that's only there for like, two episodes but somehow EVERYONE like EVERYWHERE somehow knows exactly who he is, despite the fact that he's never even been there.
- Hanasian
- Wanderer
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2015 10:01 am
- Location: Lakeshore Inn, Annuminas, Arnor
- Contact:
Re: Tolkien Family In Talks To Sell LOTR TV Rights
This is a great overview of the whole situation Straelbora! A couple things to note from this as far as this Amazon deal goes...
I actually could see where they could get several seasons of TV mini-series from all the Middle Earth historical summaries included here. To list some examples:
Straelbora wrote:.... Fearing onerous death taxes that were in place in the UK in the late '60s, Tolkien sold the film rights to "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" (including appendices) to United Artists....
I actually could see where they could get several seasons of TV mini-series from all the Middle Earth historical summaries included here. To list some examples:
- The Fall of Arthedain - Third Age 1974
- The Kin Strife of Gondor - Third Age 1432 to 1448
- The Division of Arnor - Third Age 861
- The Claims to the Gondorian Throne - Third Age 1944
- The Long Winter - Third Age 2957-58
- The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen
- The Battles with the Witch King - Third Age 1409
Hanasían
Annalist, Physician, & Historian
of The Black Company of the Dúnedain,
The Free Company of Arnor
Annalist, Physician, & Historian
of The Black Company of the Dúnedain,
The Free Company of Arnor
- Greg
- Urush bithî 'nKi ya-nam bawâb
- Posts: 4502
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:50 pm
- Location: Eriador; Central Indiana
Re: Tolkien Family In Talks To Sell LOTR TV Rights
Hanasian, I agree with you that those could each make for entertaining segments...but there's so little detail written on them in primary source material that the directors would be required to be just a bit too creative. Also, seeing as how half of the storylines you just mentioned involve the dividing of kingships and/or moving around of power, it'll just turn into another Game of Thrones nightmare, and we already have that. We certainly don't need more.
Now the sword shall come from under the cloak.
- Hanasian
- Wanderer
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2015 10:01 am
- Location: Lakeshore Inn, Annuminas, Arnor
- Contact:
Re: Tolkien Family In Talks To Sell LOTR TV Rights
Well those were just examples. Usually these multi-episode TV mini-series have several different writers and directors, and seeing a GoT style series made out of... say Arnor, isn't a far fetched possibility. I agree that the source material is barely an outline, but it will open up to all the possibilities for the screenwriters to 'fill in the blanks'. I am the first to admit the bar has been set quite low by the PJ gang, so I'm not sure this will be any worse. Of course, it could just be a TV version of one of the online video games...
I am both excited, and at the same time dreading what will come of this.
I am both excited, and at the same time dreading what will come of this.
Hanasían
Annalist, Physician, & Historian
of The Black Company of the Dúnedain,
The Free Company of Arnor
Annalist, Physician, & Historian
of The Black Company of the Dúnedain,
The Free Company of Arnor
- Elleth
- êphal ki-*raznahê
- Posts: 2941
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2010 5:26 am
- Location: in the Angle; New England
Re: Tolkien Family In Talks To Sell LOTR TV Rights
Done well, I could actually quite enjoy a "fill in gaps" series set in the Angmar / Arnorian civil war era. There's certainly a lot of drama to mined there, although I suppose "human kingdoms squabble while existential evil gathers strength in the north" will read as derivative to an audience who don't know who wrote first. :/
My fear is that typical Hollywood doofues get control, and it turn it into either the voyeurism of GoT (less likely, being Amazon rather than HBO), CGI spectacle yawn-fests, or ham-fisted social commentary that drags one out of the story.
My fear is that typical Hollywood doofues get control, and it turn it into either the voyeurism of GoT (less likely, being Amazon rather than HBO), CGI spectacle yawn-fests, or ham-fisted social commentary that drags one out of the story.
Persona: Aerlinneth, Dúnedain of Amon Lendel c. TA 3010.
- Kortoso
- Haeropada
- Posts: 822
- Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2014 9:37 pm
- Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Contact:
Re: Tolkien Family In Talks To Sell LOTR TV Rights
One of the liabilities of TV drama versus the silver screen, is that the money depends on constant cliff-hanger situations, e.g.: "come back after these commercial advertisements to find out what happened to your hero!" Even in an HBO-like environment, the show-runners are tempted to leave plot threads hanging to encourage viewers to come back next week.
So, no matter what happens, I expect the plot to focus around cliff-hangers.
So, no matter what happens, I expect the plot to focus around cliff-hangers.
There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.
Re: Tolkien Family In Talks To Sell LOTR TV Rights
Here is another piece of the puzzle:
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2017/11 ... en-estate/
In historic move, Christopher Tolkien resigns as director of Tolkien Estate...
It turns out a “Lord of the Rings†TV series isn’t the biggest Tolkien news of the week or the month or the year.
Christopher Tolkien, son and literary heir of J.R.R. Tolkien, resigned from the Tolkien Estate. And his departure changes everything.
http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2017/11 ... en-estate/
- robinhoodsghost
- Silent Watcher over the Peaceful Lands
- Posts: 337
- Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2012 2:04 pm
- Location: Kentucky
Re: Tolkien Family In Talks To Sell LOTR TV Rights
Saw on the news today that an internal Amazon document shows that they are spending $500 million for the new prequel series of "The Lord of the Rings."
That's a lot more than the estimated $280 million all three movies in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy cost to make, before advertising.
They seem to be trying to catch the fantasy audience, now that Game Of Thrones is ending. The Tolkien estate is heavily evolved and with that much money, being spent, Amazon will at least try..... very, very hard to get it right.
I hope they succeed.
That's a lot more than the estimated $280 million all three movies in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy cost to make, before advertising.
They seem to be trying to catch the fantasy audience, now that Game Of Thrones is ending. The Tolkien estate is heavily evolved and with that much money, being spent, Amazon will at least try..... very, very hard to get it right.
I hope they succeed.
In the darkest part of Sherwoods glade, in the thickest part of the wood, there are those who say, can still be seen, the ghost of Robin Hood.
- Iodo
- Thangailhir
- Posts: 2112
- Joined: Mon Sep 25, 2017 5:58 pm
- Location: North west england UK
- Contact:
Re: Tolkien Family In Talks To Sell LOTR TV Rights
That sounds promising, I shall wait with anticipation
Gimli: It's true you don't see many Dwarf-women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Dwarf-men.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
Aragorn: It's the beards.
Re: Tolkien Family In Talks To Sell LOTR TV Rights
-
As Iodo said, that development does sound promising.
As Iodo said, that development does sound promising.