The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
#1
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Thread Starter
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
‘Variety: Amazon, Warner Bros. in Talks for 'Lord of the Rings' Series Adaptation
Warner Bros. Television and the estate of J.R.R. Tolkein are in talks with Amazon Studios to develop a series based on the late author’s “The Lord of the Rings” novels. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is said by sources with knowledge of the situation to be personally involved in the negotiations, which are still in very early stages. No deal has been set.
The studio and the Tolkein estate have been shopping a series based on the classic fantasy novels and their assortment of hobbits, wizards, and warriors, sparking a competitive situation from which Amazon has emerged as the frontrunner. Representatives for Amazon and Warner Bros. declined to comment.
It is uncommon for Bezos — known to be a fan of high fantasy and science fiction — to involve himself personally in dealmaking for Amazon Studios. But talks for “The Lord of the Rings” come at an uncommon moment for the e-commerce giant’s video-entertainment division. Last month Amazon Studios flushed its executive ranks, with president Roy Price, head of scripted Joe Lewis, and head of unscripted Conrad Riggs all departing. Price’s departure came just days after he was suspended on the heels of a sexual harassment allegation made against him by a producer on the company’s original series “The Man in the High Castle.” Lewis and Riggs’ departures followed a week later.
But the pursuit of “The Lord of the Rings” is in line with a new programming mandate dictated this year by Bezos, who, months before Price departed, ordered him to shift Amazon Studios away from niche, naturalistic series such as “Transparent” and “Mozart in the Jungle” and toward large-scale genre programming with potential for broad international appeal. As part of that shift, Amazon canceled two series, “Z: The Beginning of Everything” and “The Last Tycoon,” and began shifting resources away from Lewis’ development team and to a unit led by event-series exec Sharon Tal Yguado. With Lewis’ departure, Tal Yguado was named head of scripted series, reporting to Price’s interim replacement, Amazon Studios COO Albert Cheng.
The fact that a “Lord of the Rings” series is being shopped by Warner Bros. marks a thaw in the relationship between the studio and the Tolkein estate, which in July settled a massive lawsuit that had dragged on since 2012. The dispute, with Tolkein’s heirs and publisher HarperCollins on one side and Warner Bros. — which produced director Peter Jackon’s live-action feature film adaptations of “The Lord of the Rings” and its prequel, “The Hobbit” — on the other, stemmed from the use characters from the movies in online slot machines and other games.
Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but a legal filing stated that no fees or costs were to be awarded by the court and that no party was entitled to recover fees or costs.
The studio and the Tolkein estate have been shopping a series based on the classic fantasy novels and their assortment of hobbits, wizards, and warriors, sparking a competitive situation from which Amazon has emerged as the frontrunner. Representatives for Amazon and Warner Bros. declined to comment.
It is uncommon for Bezos — known to be a fan of high fantasy and science fiction — to involve himself personally in dealmaking for Amazon Studios. But talks for “The Lord of the Rings” come at an uncommon moment for the e-commerce giant’s video-entertainment division. Last month Amazon Studios flushed its executive ranks, with president Roy Price, head of scripted Joe Lewis, and head of unscripted Conrad Riggs all departing. Price’s departure came just days after he was suspended on the heels of a sexual harassment allegation made against him by a producer on the company’s original series “The Man in the High Castle.” Lewis and Riggs’ departures followed a week later.
But the pursuit of “The Lord of the Rings” is in line with a new programming mandate dictated this year by Bezos, who, months before Price departed, ordered him to shift Amazon Studios away from niche, naturalistic series such as “Transparent” and “Mozart in the Jungle” and toward large-scale genre programming with potential for broad international appeal. As part of that shift, Amazon canceled two series, “Z: The Beginning of Everything” and “The Last Tycoon,” and began shifting resources away from Lewis’ development team and to a unit led by event-series exec Sharon Tal Yguado. With Lewis’ departure, Tal Yguado was named head of scripted series, reporting to Price’s interim replacement, Amazon Studios COO Albert Cheng.
The fact that a “Lord of the Rings” series is being shopped by Warner Bros. marks a thaw in the relationship between the studio and the Tolkein estate, which in July settled a massive lawsuit that had dragged on since 2012. The dispute, with Tolkein’s heirs and publisher HarperCollins on one side and Warner Bros. — which produced director Peter Jackon’s live-action feature film adaptations of “The Lord of the Rings” and its prequel, “The Hobbit” — on the other, stemmed from the use characters from the movies in online slot machines and other games.
Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but a legal filing stated that no fees or costs were to be awarded by the court and that no party was entitled to recover fees or costs.
#3
DVD Talk Legend
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
Okay, I don't know why. I guess they might be thinking of each book being adapted in the same way Game of Thrones is made for television. Having each book plus the appendicies play out over the course of a season. I'll be just fine continuing to watch the movies.
Last edited by Bluelitespecial; 11-03-17 at 08:28 PM.
#5
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
No.
#6
DVD Talk Hero
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
The studio and the Tolkein estate have been shopping a series based on the classic fantasy novels
#7
DVD Talk God
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
#8
DVD Talk Hero
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
Agreed.
However....
If the Tolkien estate is involved, I would rather they just open up the whole canon of Middle Earth and make a Silmarillion tv series or series of movies. There's a huge amount of story in The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and Tolkien's notes.
The War of Wrath. Melkor. Beren and Luthien. The Silmarills. The Fall of Numenor. The rise of Sauron and the creation of the Rings. The Last Alliance.
Of course, with all of the dragons and balrogs in open battle, The War of Wrath would be a budget buster.
However....
If the Tolkien estate is involved, I would rather they just open up the whole canon of Middle Earth and make a Silmarillion tv series or series of movies. There's a huge amount of story in The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, and Tolkien's notes.
The War of Wrath. Melkor. Beren and Luthien. The Silmarills. The Fall of Numenor. The rise of Sauron and the creation of the Rings. The Last Alliance.
Of course, with all of the dragons and balrogs in open battle, The War of Wrath would be a budget buster.
#10
DVD Talk Hero
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
Yea sure why not. I hope they ape Jackson's Middle Earth, so it's viewed in continuity (even if they can't officially link them for some rights reasons). The Lord of the Rings movies will have a place in my heart forever (kind of watch to watch them now just thinking about it).
#11
DVD Talk Hero
#12
DVD Talk Legend
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
No Tom Bombadil - no sale.
Seriously though, this would be the perfect opportunity to dive deep into the lore and show everything.
But the casting will be key. They would need to avoid mimicking the Jackson movies or they would be constantly compared.
Seriously though, this would be the perfect opportunity to dive deep into the lore and show everything.
But the casting will be key. They would need to avoid mimicking the Jackson movies or they would be constantly compared.
#13
DVD Talk Hero
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re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
Hell yes! I hope AMC gets it so we can have The Walking Walking with a Chris Hardwick after show: Talking Walking Walking (guest starring Christopher Walken).
Tom Bombadil spin-off series!!!
Tom Bombadil spin-off series!!!
#14
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
I don't want it to retread what the LotR movies have done, but surely they could expand upon on and focus on other parts of the world they've built.
#17
DVD Talk Hero
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
I'd rather they make this with WETA and align it with Peter Jackson's movies.
#18
Banned
#19
DVD Talk God
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
http://deadline.com/2017/11/lord-of-...on-1202201636/
Whoever decides to pick this up has to pay a huge rights fee. $200-250M just for the rights. No script, no showrunner, no cast yet. Just to pick up the rights.
Then they will have to pay the actual physical production costs.
Story said HBO was approached, but they passed.
Whoever decides to pick this up has to pay a huge rights fee. $200-250M just for the rights. No script, no showrunner, no cast yet. Just to pick up the rights.
Then they will have to pay the actual physical production costs.
Story said HBO was approached, but they passed.
#20
DVD Talk Hero
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
^ That’s a lot of scratch for a story that already been told, and told well.
I’m not a big fantasy reader but there’s GOT to be another believed series to books that hasn’t been mined yet that could be had for a lot cheaper.
I’m not a big fantasy reader but there’s GOT to be another believed series to books that hasn’t been mined yet that could be had for a lot cheaper.
#21
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
The hell? I thought the Tolkien estate (and Christopher Tolkien in particular) were dead set opposed to any adaptions of JRRT's work.
But they can't stop this series because Warner bought the rights to the LOTR and The Hobbit from JR so the Tolkien estate can't stop anything being done with those, however they control all his other writing.
Honestly I think this is a bad idea. I'd rather someone pick up the rights to Conan and do a Conan series as he was originally written by Robert E. Howard, or do a series based on The Witcher.
#22
DVD Talk Hero
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
http://deadline.com/2017/11/lord-of-...on-1202201636/
Whoever decides to pick this up has to pay a huge rights fee. $200-250M just for the rights. No script, no showrunner, no cast yet. Just to pick up the rights.
Then they will have to pay the actual physical production costs.
Story said HBO was approached, but they passed.
Whoever decides to pick this up has to pay a huge rights fee. $200-250M just for the rights. No script, no showrunner, no cast yet. Just to pick up the rights.
Then they will have to pay the actual physical production costs.
Story said HBO was approached, but they passed.
That is a huge amount of money for rights, I can see why HBO turned them down.
#23
DVD Talk Legend
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
A LOTR series could work if they put in the same kind of money and effort as Jackson's team did with the movies, and HBO does with GoT. And hopefully they could make the many fight scenes and battles look far more like GoT than Jackson's essentially bloodless Tolkien movies.
#24
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
The video game series? Netflix is already developing it.
https://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/64...t-netflix.html
https://forum.dvdtalk.com/tv-talk/64...t-netflix.html
#25
DVD Talk Gold Edition
re: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power -- news, rumors, etc.
Isaac Asimov did the same with his Foundation series, which is tied to his robot stories and some other works via a common history... which all starts off with his time travel novel "The End of Eternity".
There's Jack Vance's "Star Kings" interstellar revenge saga,
As well as Kenneth Bulmer's "Key to..." series spanning alternate universes, and Keith Laumer's "Worlds of the Imperium" alternate worlds series. Neither of which have anything to do with alternate "history" worlds like were the Nazis won WW II or the U.S. lost it's revolution, etc.
Probably what would be potentially the best would be Keith Laumer's series about interstellar diplomat Retief. Given what he's done with the Orville, and that the Retief stories are basically humorous, I think Seth MacFarlane would be great for doing a Retief series... if he could let go of anachronistic humor.