What’s up with this? I searched for and couldn’t find a thread about it. I first heard of it recently when I saw a couple of videos on Youtube about some maps that Amazon has been releasing, giving clues about the series. Here is one such video:
Apparently Amazon purchased the rights to the LOTR books only, none of the other books; but those books include the rather extensive appendices which cover, among other things, the making of the rings and other events in the second Age. Amazon apparently intends making a series out of some of this material, with a budget quoted at around a billion US dollars.
There seems to be a strong desire among the fans who have commented on the various videos that the story be set in the second Age and maybe climax with the Last Alliance and the fall of Sauron. This might lack suspense, since we all know how the story comes out, but I presume a good writer could do a lot with these stories, and possibly make up some sub-stories to hold everyone’s interest.
Folks seem to be predicting that the next map will be released on March 6th (9 days after the most recent), giving yet more clues.
What do you folks think? Are you anticipating with relish, or foreboding? Are you worried about the intrusion of “liberal SJW elements” like black elves, strong warrior women and transsexual dwarves (these are examples I have seen of the potential “horrors” that may be released upon trepidatious fans)?
In the video description you’ll find a link for the map.
I’m more looking forward to their Wheel of Time series that they have threatened to come out with, but they could do a good job with Tolkien’s work as well.
They seem rather close lipped about their plans, what I had heard speculated that it would be set between the Hobbit and LOTR, and focus on Aragon as a younger ranger. No idea if there is any validity to that speculation, but I can see reason to find that to be interesting, even if you know that the main character has god level plot armor.
I’m a little leery, but hope they do a good job. I’ve long wanted to see a Pixar-type adaptation of The Silmarillion, including perhaps the creation of Arda, the forging of the Silmarils, the tale of Beren and Luthien, and the fall of Numenor. But this could be good.
If the show does a good job of recreating the Silmarillion and extended canon then they’ll get good reviews from the uber-fans and bore everyone else. They lose all of their money.
If they add in all the sex and duplicity of Game of Thrones, then they’re basically just making shit up without any guideline to follow and are liable to do it poorly; they piss off the mega-fans; and they don’t start any new fans because GoT already exists and everyone already knows that the best bit of the Lord of the Rings was already done.
It was an active choice to shoot themselves in the foot. The only question is whether they shot the left foot or the right foot.
If the go with direction one, the Tolkien fans will get at least one amazing season of it, but those 5 men are not sufficient to create a season 2.
It seems settled now that the series will take place in the Second Age, which features such things as Numenor, Sauron as a visible (and reportedly attractive) being rather than a tower with an eye, Numenor’s advance on Aman and subsequent downfall, the forging of the rings and the one ring, and culminating in the Last Alliance fighting against Sauron, of which we saw flashbacks at the beginning of the LOTR and a couple of other places in the trilogy.
I think that gives them plenty of room to maneuver, to flesh out or even create new stories that will have broad appeal, and plenty of spectacle from time to time. It all depends on the writers and what they can come up with.
How settled iOS to that it’s going to be in the Second Age? I’m actually not too thrilled by the idea of a big, epic FA or SA series. The movies suffered from battle fatigue, IMHO, and the battles featured in the movies (Helm’s Deep, Five Armies, Pelennor Fields, the Black Gate) would be considered skirmishes by FA/SA standards.
I actually liked the idea that the Amazon series would be set around the the adventures and wandering of a younger Strider/Aragorn, with perhaps the other Rangers/Dundedain of the North thrown in. The show could travel to parts of Middle-Earth not fleshed out in the text and not be bound to slavishly recreate the History of Middle-Earth.
I may agree with the possibility if it were being broadcast on a network with sponsors and nielsen ratings and all that. As it is not, as it is more of a Netflix type of service that it will be on, it almost doesn’t matter if people watch it or not. Obviously, if no one watches it, they won’t make more, but they are not beholden to network sponsors and time slots or all the other things that cuase a program to be canceled on traditional platforms.
How settled is it? I don’t really know, but folks who are putting out Youtube videos discussing it are now acting like it’s virtually a done deal, based on the hints that Amazon has dropped so far.
Based on what is and is not on the last map they posted, and taking into account the versions of the names used for key locales, the map itself can only be for a timeframe of S.A 1350 to S.A 1600. Doesn’t mean that the show has to be set then, but those maps are a whole lotta work for nothing if that’s. It what they’re showing.
This comment reminded me of what the did in the TV series Rome. The established historical events are seen through the eyes of and affected by the actions of soldiers Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo.
So filming is underway in New Zealand for this production.
First episode is still vaguely in 2021.
They are using Galadriel as a character is the only thing I’m sure of so far from different articles. she’ll be played by Morfydd Clark
I have a reaaally bad feeling about this, I think they are trying to replicate Game of Thrones in Numenor and it’s going to be really ugyl.
I hope to Eru that I’m wrong, I’m too old to go unearth the AK-47s and the bandanas that we buried when the old Middle Earth’s Liberation Front decided that the movies were acceptable and Peter Jackson could live.
First episode release now has a date, September 2, 2022 (so another year-plus to wait). It seems to include content (possibly in the form of flashbacks to establish context and information) of the age of the trees and the first age, but the main action will be in the second age, as expected.
So although production wrapped a few days ago, they need over a year for post-production. I hope that is an indicator of the quality of the final product.
Also, a teaser image has been released that appears to include the two trees. You can see it here as well as a lot of other places.
