What We Know So Far About Amazon's Upcoming 'Lord of the Rings' Series

After plenty of rumours and speculation, it was finally announced back in November that Amazon had won the $250 million rights to Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings novels and would be adapting the story into a five-season "prequel" series.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon plans to spend $1 billion on the series (including casting, producers, and visual effects), which would make it the most expensive series in TV history.

There's no word yet on the content of the series, but given that it's been labelled a "prequel" to The Lord of the Rings and Amazon is working with The Tolkien Estate, they certainly have a lot of material to work with.

While The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit director Sir Peter Jackson played no part in the talks between Amazon and the Tolkien Estate, he is reportedly in talks about his involvement in this series.

Other Lord of the Rings alum, however, are not as enthusiastic.

John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli in The Lord of the Rings films, suggested this was more about money than anything.

"Why we quite need Lord of the Rings as a TV series baffles me slightly," he said. "I mean, poor Tolkien must be spinning in his grave."

Andy Serkis has already said he would pass if approached to reprise his role as Gollum, instead suggesting that a "fresh approach" would be more worthwhile.

"I don’t think they will, and nor should they, because I really do think that it’s a wonderful opportunity to tell Tolkien’s incredible story through a long form. If I was putting myself in their shoes, I’d be wanting to create something completely fresh and see the world in a completely different way."

One actor who isn't quite ready to hand over his role to someone else, however, is Sir Ian McKellen. When asked about the upcoming series on The Graham Norton Show, McKellen made his feelings quite clear:

"I haven't said yes because I haven't been asked," the actor continued. "But are you suggesting that someone else is going to play it? "Gandalf is over 7000 years old, so I'm not too old [yet]."


While there's no scheduled release date yet, part of Amazon's deal requires them to begin production within two years, so it'll be on the way soon!

What do you think of this new series? 

Let me know in the comments below or Tweet me at @TolkienBritta!

Previously Unseen Tolkien Illustrations to Go on Display This Summer

The Tolkien Trust 2018; Smithsonian.com

A new Tolkien exhibit at Oxford's Bodleian Library will open this summer and feature a variety of manuscripts, letters, maps, and artwork by the author, including three previously unseen works (including Linquë Súrissë (1960s), which from the Elvish language Quenya translates to "grass in the wind").

The library will also release a catalog of more than 300 Tolkien materials which will become available in the US in July.

"The vivid abstract paintings entitled There and Here show Tolkien as a young student at Oxford finding his own artistic voice,” says Catherine McIlwaine, the Bodleian Libraries’ Tolkien archivist and the curator of the exhibition, in a statement. “They indicate that he was beginning to draw, not just what he could see, but what he could imagine.” [From The Art Newspaper]

"Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth" will run from 1 June to 28 October.

'The Hobbit' Translated into Galician, Hawaiian

Tolkien's classic The Hobbit has been translated into two new versions:

TolkienGuide.com has shared on their webpage that Sushi Books has published a deluxe edition of The Hobbit (O Hobbit) in the minority language of Galician. Check out their post for more information and some neat photos!

Additionally, Keao NeSmith has translated it into Hawaiian (Ka Hopita) in an attempt to repopularize the language. You can buy it on Amazon or read more about it on Aljazeera America.

'A Middle-earth Traveller' Coming October 2018

Another new Middle-earth publication is coming out this year! A Middle-earth Traveller: Sketches from Bag End to Mordor will be released on 4 October 2018 by HarperCollins and will feature the artwork of John Howe - who, like Alan Lee, also provided conceptual designs for The Lord of the Rings films. 

The book is available for pre-order on Amazon UK.

From the publisher:

Let acclaimed Tolkien artist John Howe take you on an unforgettable journey across Middle-earth, from Bag End to Mordor, in this richly illustrated sketchbook fully of previously unseen artwork, anecdotes and meditations on Middle-earth.

Middle-earth has been mapped, Bilbo’s and Frodo’s journeys plotted and measured, but Middle-earth remains a wilderland for all that. The roads as yet untraveled far outnumber those down which Tolkien had time to wander.

A Middle-Earth Traveller presents a walking tour of Tolkien’s Middle-earth, visiting not only places central to his stories, but also those just over the hill or beyond the horizon. Events from Tolkien’s books are explored – battles of the different ages that are almost part of legend by the time of The Lord of the Rings; lost kingdoms and ancient myths, as well as those places only hinted at: kingdoms of the far North and lands beyond the seas.

Sketches that have an ‘on-the-spot’ feel to them are interwoven with the artist’s observations gleaned from Tolkien’s books and recollections of his time spent in Middle-earth while working alongside Peter Jackson on the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film trilogies. Combining concept work produced for films, existing Middle-earth art and many new paintings and sketches exclusive to this book, A Middle-earth Traveller will take the reader on a unique and unforgettable journey across Tolkien’s magical landscape.