Spoilers Lord of the Rings TV series

[The Lensman]

You're expecting too much. I don't think Christopher Tolkien approaches this like a novelist. He's just a curator of his father's work and he approaches filling in the blanks more like someone extrapolating missing verse from the dead sea scrolls. The end result is mostly an academic pleasure.

Well I wasn't expecting too much given his age. But I enjoyed Children of Hurin well enough and would've liked to see the guy closest to Tolkien hammer out, as best he could, a single narrative. Especially given that these were the tales that seemed closest to his fathers heart. I understand why he's taken the curator approach, I just don't think he needed to once we got into the 00's. Those fans in the 60's and 70's were far more fanatical than fans of today. Once upon a time there would've been much gnashing of teeth over something like this show which will make a lot of stuff up. Now people seem generally excited about it.

Also, I think once Christopher is gone that the family will allow authors to come in and write new tales set in Middle Earth. It may be a decade or so after he passes, but I believe it to be inevitable and I would've preferred he be the one to do so. What he ended up with isn't just an academic pleasure, it's a strictly academic pleasure. My opinion is such that I don't think it's disrespectful for the son to complete the work of the father as best he can, as long as he acknowledges in the work that it's his best assessment for making a singular narrative in order to get those tales closest to his fathers heart out there for all to read.

I love the Silmarillion as published and thought Christopher did just fine with what he had to work with.

 

[fireproof78]

Well I wasn't expecting too much given his age. But I enjoyed Children of Hurin well enough and would've liked to see the guy closest to Tolkien hammer out, as best he could, a single narrative. Especially given that these were the tales that seemed closest to his fathers heart. I understand why he's taken the curator approach, I just don't think he needed to once we got into the 00's. Those fans in the 60's and 70's were far more fanatical than fans of today. Once upon a time there would've been much gnashing of teeth over something like this show which will make a lot of stuff up. Now people seem generally excited about it.

Also, I think once Christopher is gone that the family will allow authors to come in and write new tales set in Middle Earth. It may be a decade or so after he passes, but I believe it to be inevitable and I would've preferred he be the one to do so. What he ended up with isn't just an academic pleasure, it's a strictly academic pleasure. My opinion is such that I don't think it's disrespectful for the son to complete the work of the father as best he can, as long as he acknowledges in the work that it's his best assessment for making a singular narrative in order to get those tales closest to his fathers heart out there for all to read.

I love the Silmarillion as published and thought Christopher did just fine with what he had to work with.

I think Christopher does just fine with the materials he has to work with. He was his dad's letter writing partner for years in the development of Middle Earth. I agree that he is being respectful in a way that is difficult to do after an author passes. I appreciate Christopher's efforts and am sad to see him retire.

 

[Klaa2]

I am in complete agreement! However, The Hobbit movies did not get better with each successive entry. They sucked, and sucked ... then sucked some more. Even the LOTR movies ran out of steam during Twin Towers. If not for sweet Éowyn, I would've had to dismiss the film, entirely. Return of the King was really boring and kind of a mess, especially towards the end. "The Fellowship of the Rings" benefitted mostly from how charming and quaint it all was. The misty forests, the medieval settings ... it damn near put me in the mood for my first-ever Renaissance Fair (which I still haven't been on).

So, when Pete's got this franchise that had various published books to base it all on and official illustrators that worked on those books at hand ... and STILL delivers a body of mediocrity and boredom, it makes one wonder what stretching it all out into a series is meant to achieve? The cure for insomnia? There's so much hype regarding this franchise and what it's based on, that it disappoints me, greatly, that I can't find myself as infatuated with it. It's just "OK." It's sight better than King Arthur with Keira Knightley in it and THERE was a story with PASSION!!!

I thought that Return of the King was by some distance the best of the films. The Two Towers took some remarkable liberties, notably that of having Elves at Helm’s Deep. The book is much better than the films.

 

[JD]

I couldn't find a newer thread on this, so I hope it's OK if I just post this here.
J.A. Bayona, director of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and The Orphanage, will direct the first two episodes of the series, and will serve as an Executive Producer.
I enjoyed Fallen Kingdom, so I'm pretty happy with this choice.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Fallen Kingdom is garbage (but that was mostly the script's fault, so I don't blame Bayona for that) but A Monster Calls is a gorgeous, brilliant film and everyone should go see it to truly appreciate Bayona's craftmanship. Because of A Monster Calls, I'm thrilled he's directing of the episodes for this series.

 

[Cyrus]

The 2 dudes who wrote the script for the aborted 4th Kelvin Star Trek movie are going to be the showrunners on the series. Their Trek script must have generated some good word of mouth, because they don't have much on their resume yet.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

We may have our first casting.

Variety has learned from multiple sources that Markella Kavenagh is in talks for a role in the upcoming epic fantasy series. Details of Kavenagh’s characters are being kept under wraps, but sources say she would be playing a character named Tyra.

Kavenagh is known for having previously starred in the sequel series to the Australian film “Romper Stomper” as well as for roles in the shows “Picnic at Hanging Rock” and “The Cry.”
​

Keep in mind, Tyra is probably a placeholder name so that the plot and timeline can be kept secret until the production is ready to formally announce the show's details.

That said, I'm calling it now: She's playing an elf.

 

[JD]

Yeah, I saw the story on Io9 and she's definitely got the Elf look.

 

[saddestmoon]

Great first casting announcement!

Looking like some of this series is going to focus on the island of Númenor - which I’m extremely excited about!

https://www.tor.com/2019/03/07/new-details-about-amazons-middle-earth-now-featuring-numenor/

Personally speaking, anything that is set in the First or Second ages would be great (Unfinished Tales, The Silmarillion, etc).

Númenor, it’s rise (and eventual fall) would be a good setting to focus on. Lotsa political, throne-sequel drama to be had, as well as wonderful world building.

Heck - also throw in a Gondolin storyline, Beren and Lúthien and the Silmarils, and most other stories from the First and Second ages, and I would be one happy middle earth camper!

ps: principal filming will be in Auckland, New Zealand - as well as in Scotland.

Huzzah!

 

[JD]

Would they be able to use still from The Simarillion and other stuff set before Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit? I've heard that Christopher Tolkien is very uncooperative when it comes to adaptations, I can't see him giving them to rights to them.

 

[fireproof78]

Would they be able to use still from The Simarillion and other stuff set before Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit? I've heard that Christopher Tolkien is very uncooperative when it comes to adaptations, I can't see him giving them to rights to them.

I do not believe Christopher is still administering the estate.

 

[JD]

Oh, since when?

 

[FreezeC77]

Oh, since when?

I believe he stepped down right around the time Amazon acquiring the rights was announced.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolkien_Estate

It was 2 days after the Amazon announcement, although later said he had actually stepped down a few months earlier.

 

[JD]

Hopefully whoever is in charge now is more cooperative.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I do not believe Christopher is still administering the estate.

Yeah, that was mentioned tn his very thread when it happened. Gives me hope that there will be some flexibility.

 

[fireproof78]

Yeah, that was mentioned tn his very thread when it happened. Gives me hope that there will be some flexibility.

It depends on how the material is handled.

 

[JD]

You know, now that we're talking about it again, I think I do vaguely remember the old conversation.

 

[Spider]

The Expanse and now this. Guess Amazon is trying to step up to the plate. I'm always happy to see big bucks spent on scifi and fantasy. (Well, most of the time.)

 

[saddestmoon]

The addition of Númenor on the Amazon Online middle earth map - does suggest that the original deal, prohibiting Amazon producing anything other than the LOTRs books and appendices themselves, has been renegotiated to include other materials such as The Unfinished Tales...

 

[BK613]

The addition of Númenor on the Amazon Online middle earth map - does suggest that the original deal, prohibiting Amazon producing anything other than the LOTRs books and appendices themselves, has been renegotiated to include other materials such as The Unfinished Tales...

Agree. And at least the creator(s) of the teaser maps seem(s) to know a bit about the lore, given what place names appear (and don't appear) on a given map.