One hundred years since J.R.R. Tolkien invented Middle-earth, Amazon has announced it’s turning Lord of the Rings into a TV series.
Deadline reports that the streaming service paid a whopping $250 million for the global rights to the novel, and plans to make a sprawling series that spans multiple seasons and even a spin-off.
Well, at least now we know what we’ll be watching when Game of Thrones is over.
The new series will start with the story of what happened in the lead-up to The Fellowship Of The Ring, the first part of Tolkien’s trilogy made into a film starring Elijah Wood and Sir Ian McKellen in 2001. That was followed up by two epic features, The Two Towers and Return of the King, not to mention director Peter Jackson‘s subsequent three-film series adapting Tolkien’s other masterpiece The Hobbit.
The final film in that series was released just three years ago, prompting some fans on Twitter to express confusion at the news that the books will be adapted for the screen once again:
Amazon: We are making Lord of the Rings prequel series #LOTR
Me: pic.twitter.com/91UubdlNCZ
— Krojačica Sudbine ♔ (@MonaLisa1797) November 13, 2017
The reaction of most Tolkien fans heard that Amazon was making "Lord of the Rings" show. #LordOfTheRings #LOTR pic.twitter.com/jEXDqy8rNR
— Synthra (@ZhiteraWiggins) November 13, 2017
I'm not watching the "Lord of the Rings" show if you're bringing in new actors to play the characters. I better see Elijah Wood as Frodo I don't care how old he looks
— Lily Graceellterins (@LGraceellterins) November 13, 2017
Amazon though clearly has big ambitions for the show. Their head of scripted series, Sharon Tal Ygyando, said: “The Lord of the Rings is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen.
“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.”
It’s easy to see why they might be excited too. The Lord of the Rings film trilogy earned nearly $6 billion worldwide, and picked up a combined 17 Academy Awards, including Best Picture for The Return of the King.
It’s too soon for any cast announcements, but whoever plays Frodo, Legolas and Gandalf will have a tough job replacing them in our imaginations.
Are you excited about Lord of the Rings coming to the small screen?