Latest news on Amazon's "Lord of the Rings" series

[Huinesoron]

Well, as of yesterday we have 15 cast members, which includes several we already knew.

It has, embarassingly, only just occurred to me that if you're bad at reading the appendices, the name 'Sauron' could be pronounced 'Sore-on'. Which is very very close to the 'lead villain' name of Oren.

Given that the series is still called 'The Lord of the Rings', of which as we know There Is Only One, I think Joseph Mawle is probably playing Sauron. Given the... inventiveness of that code-name, is it possible that the others are just as bad? 'Tyra' could be a contraction of 'Tar-Telperien', who was queen at the time the Rings were forged. (And I'm not just suggesting this because I want a Witch-Queen of Numenor arc! ) As for Beldar... yeah, I've still got nothing there.

From the pictures in the article, I think Morfydd Clark might be playing an elf - perhaps even Galadriel? She and Elrond are just about the only characters people who only know the films might recognize in this time-frame...

hS

[William Cloud Hicklin]

I'm basically expecting this to be every bit as bad as the Hobbit movies, crossed with The Last Jedi and Ishtar.

That leaves room to be pleasantly surprised.

[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

I'm basically expecting this to be every bit as bad as the Hobbit movies, crossed with The Last Jedi and Ishtar.

That leaves room to be pleasantly surprised.

I have foreseen abominations a'plenty coming since C. Tolkien relinquished his executorship. Now his sad passing really bodes ill for J.R.R. Tolkien's literary corpus.

[Rhun charioteer]

It really depends on the estate and how much they are willing to veto. They might only Veto large scale contradictions or thematic or plot notions. They might have a relatively free hand and be reluctant to use the veto lest they anger Amazon.

My worst case prediction is that Amazon gets around the veto by basically making up glorified fanfiction.

Basically Shadows of Mordor(and that actually contradicts the lore).

They can always claim they are filling in the gaps, or they aren’t violating the agreement not to contradict things.

This could mean the show is basically Shadows of Mordor but without even the pretense of being an “adaptation” except in the loosest sense.

But rather original fiction set within Tolkien’s world. Which at its best would probably be uncreative and mediocre. At worst it would be torture.

But with Christopher gone-my main concern is that if the show does well. The younger Tolkien family members might sell out as it were. Letting Amazon and other corporations poach and ravage the rest of Tolkien’s corpus.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Perhaps so, but Baillie and Michael George are still on the board, and the impression I get of Adam is that his attitude is rather like his father's.

Simon on the other hand....

[Rhun charioteer]

Originally Posted by William Cloud Hicklin

Perhaps so, but Baillie and Michael George are still on the board, and the impression I get of Adam is that his attitude is rather like his father's.

Simon on the other hand....

If the Amazon series does well, it wouldn’t surprise me if certain members of the estate were contacted by various corporate conglomerates asking to say change the will or sell the rights to the Silmarillion, having developed the notion the Tolkien family or at least its younger members have no interest in keeping the IP under their ownership either indefinitely or whenever it enters public domain.

It’s happened before with other estates.

I don’t expect anything like the above will happen for at least the next five years.

But I am genuinely worried the doors may have swung open to the silmarillion being adapted.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Originally Posted by Rhun charioteer

If the Amazon series does well, it wouldn’t surprise me if certain members of the estate were contacted by various corporate conglomerates asking to say change the will or sell the rights to the Silmarillion, having developed the notion the Tolkien family or at least its younger members have no interest in keeping the IP under their ownership either indefinitely or whenever it enters public domain.

It’s happened before with other estates.

I don’t expect anything like the above will happen for at least the next five years.

But I am genuinely worried the doors may have swung open to the silmarillion being adapted.

At this point it's all speculation, since we have no clue what the new legal arrangements or dramatis personae are going to be. Remember, CRT never relinquished the position of literary executor, and presumably bestowed it in his will, but to whom we have no idea. Nor do we know who is going to take his seat on the Board, nor who might replace Priscilla (age 90) before long; nor whether there might be yet another re-organization.

In other words, it's way too soon to tell.

(Another complication- at least with regard to the Silmarillion, a very solid case could be made that it was co-authored by JRRT and CRT, which adds another dimension to any consideration of rights sales).