Less than three years after Warner Bros. released the third and final movie in the Hobbit trilogy, Amazon announced on Monday that it has acquired the global television rights to The Lord of the Rings. According to the press release, Amazon has picked up a multi-season commitment for a TV series based on the legendary books.
“The Lord of the Rings is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen,” said Sharon Tal Yguado, Head of Scripted Series, Amazon Studios. “We are honored to be working with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking The Lord of the Rings fans on a new epic journey in Middle Earth.”
Unlike the films, which were more or less direct adaptations of Tolkien’s four books (The Hobbit, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King), Amazon’s original series will “explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring” and leaves the door open for potential spin-off series.
Sadly, there were no further details revealed in the press release regarding the team that will create the show or the actors who will star in it. As with other
