The revered fantasy series The Lord of the Rings will be receiving the premier television treatment at Amazon in the coming years. No official release date has been announced as of yet, but fans are nonetheless apprehensive about the new series.
Peter Jackson's trilogy of films adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's original epic are among the most highly-regarded in all of fantasy filmmaking. It's been nearly two decades since The Return of the King came out, though – while a new adaptation certainly has some fans anxious, others are simply hoping that the expensive project will do the series justice.
10 It Will Take Place Millenia Before The Hobbit...
Just about every media related to the Lord of the Rings mythos takes place during the actual Lord of the Rings narrative arc (including The Hobbit). There are some exceptions, notably in many spin-off video games, but generally, filmmakers and creators stick to the well-known arcs.
Amazon's take on The Lord of the Rings will instead serve as a prequel to the events of the main trilogy, and have hinted that many story details are inspired by The Silmarillion, a veritable bible of official Lord of the Rings backstory.
9 ...During The Second Age of Middle-Earth
The Second Age of Middle Earth happens just a few centuries before the events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In the Second Age, the civilization of Numenor still exists, and it is the age in which Sauron initially forged the rings of power, including the One Ring.
The Second Age spans nearly 3,500 years of time, and contains some of the most influential events in the history of Middle Earth. There's a lot of lore to pull from, and ways to tie the new series into the stories fans already know.
8 Amazon Will Take Inspiration From All Of Tolkien's Works
Amazon is not planning to re-make Peter Jackson's revered trilogy, instead they want to tell alternative stories in the millennia preceding the events of The Hobbit. Originally, fans believed the new series would focus on "young Aragorn" but these rumors were debunked in recent years.
Peter Jackson's The Hobbit took some inspiration from Tolkien's other works, but it didn't end up improving the movies altogether that much. While there's troves of information available, it's more about how the pieces are put together in the end.
7 It's Filming In New Zealand, Just Like The Films
Fans who fell in love with the natural wonder and scenery of the Peter Jackson trilogy will be happy to know that the Amazon series is filming in New Zealand as well. Amazon's Lord of the Rings showrunners said that it was the best place to bring the "primordial beauty" of the Second Age to life.
While Hobbiton does exist in real life as it appears in the Peter Jackson trilogy, it doesn't look like Amazon will be returning to the iconic set for this new production.
6 The Show's Budget Is Likely Around $465 Million
The budget for Amazon's Lord of the Rings is massive, perhaps evidenced by the production receiving over $160 million in tax credits from New Zealand for filming in the country. According to Jennifer Salke, the Amazons Studios head, the budget for just the first season is nearly half a million dollars.
It's an insane figure, considering many Marvel blockbusters have had similar budgets. For perspective, the budget for an entire season of Game of Thrones was around $90 million apiece.
5 Five Seasons Are Going To Be Made
Although very little news has come out about the Lord of the Rings TV series, fans do know one thing for certain: the series will go on for a long time, five seasons to be precise. When Amazon purchased the rights to use the Lord of the Rings franchise, they had to guarantee five seasons would be made.
The span of time in the Second Age, along with the amount of storytelling potential in the expanded Tolkien lore, will have some breathing room with such a long time to be developed fully.
4 The Tolkien Estate Has Set Boundaries for Amazon...
Although the new Lord of the Rings TV show will have its own style and creative liberties, the Tolkien Estate has reportedly set some boundaries for the production. The chief line that Amazon may not cross is referencing or depicting the Third Age.
The Third Age, of course, is the span of time in which the Lord of the Rings trilogy takes place. This restriction was made so that the Third Age can maintain its story without interference, giving Amazon full reign over other Lord of the Rings stories.
3 ...And A Tolkien Scholar Consults The Writers
In addition to the hands-on attitude of the Tolkien Estate, there is a specialist Tolkien Scholar who aids the staff and the estate alike. Tom Shippey is a consultant for the set who is there for the production to remain as accurate to the source material as possible.
The Tolkien Estate is deadly serious about preserving the revered fantasy worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien. As long as fewer liberties are taken with the source material than were seen in The Hobbit trilogy, fans will be satisfied.
2 The Two Showrunners Have Experience With Blockbusters
The showrunners and heads of Amazon's Lord of the Rings TV series are J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. They have experience writing all across the industry, but they are rarely credited (they wrote for Star Trek: Beyond without being credited, for example).
J.J. Abrams was reportedly a major influence on the decision to hire the writing duo, whose other notable credits include Jungle Cruise starring Dwayne "Can You Smell What The Rock Is Cooking" Johnson.
1 Only One Actor Returns From The Movies: Peter Tait (Shagrat)
The cast of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy was considered by most fans to be spot-on. While it would be neat in a lot of ways to see them return to those revered roles, it appears Amazon is avoiding bringing back any of the cast from those movies, except for one man: Peter Tait.
Peter Tait played a minor role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, that of Shagrat the orc, who discovers Frodo after he is debilitated by Shelob. He likely won't be playing the orc again, though, as the events of the show take place far, far before the events of the War of the Ring.