While it’s too early to tell if anything is in the works, Warner Brothers and the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien have begun negotiations with Amazon Studios to create a Lord of the Rings TV series based on the high fantasy works of the famed author. Rumors state that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos may even be involved in working out the deal. This is unusual for the Amazon head, yet he is reportedly a big fan of the novels so this could explain his potential involvement.
The idea for a Lord of the Rings TV series is nothing new, as both Warner Brothers and the Tolkien estate have been in favor of this for a while. The noteworthy development is that Amazon Studios seems primed to take it on, amidst many other studios vying for the license to the popular series. It’s also notable that Warner Brothers, which produced the hit films, is working closely with the estate of the author. The two parties recently settled a lawsuit stemming from the former’s use of Lord of the Rings characters in games.
It’s worth noting that these preliminary negotiations can fall through just as easily as succeed. If it gets the go ahead, many questions remain. Will the show draw more from the books or the films? Where will it fall in terms of the series’ timeline? And exactly how simple is it to walk into Mordor? The situation surrounding the deal is still uncertain, so only time will tell if this becomes the first step in an unexpected journey.
