Amazon and WB discussing new LORD OF THE RINGS TV series

[Corvinus85]

So what you're saying is that Bezos may have become Ungoliant. Always hungry for money and power.

[fionwe1987]

On 7/30/2018 at 6:23 PM, Corvinus said:

So what you're saying is that Bezos may have become Ungoliant. Always hungry for money and power.

And where does Amazon dominate? The Web!

[Werthead]

Amazon have launched a website (consisting of a big blank map) and Twitter feed for the LotR TV show. Very little of interest on there so far, but it shows that the project ain't dead.

[Ran]

Interesting that they're using a map featuring the Orocarni mountains. They don't appear on the standard LotR map. Could mean nothing, could be a hint. If it is a hint, I'd guess it'd be the theory that the focus is on Aragorn is right. We know he traveled widely, into Rhûn, into Harad, and so on.

[A True Kaniggit]

16 minutes ago, Ran said:

Interesting that they're using a map featuring the Orocarni mountains. They don't appear on the standard LotR map. Could mean nothing, could be a hint. If it is a hint, I'd guess it'd be the theory that the focus is on Aragorn is right. We know he traveled widely, into , into Harad, and so on.

Are those the ones to the east of the Sea of Rhûn, with the forest near the southern half? I didn't recognize those ones.

[Ran]

Just now, A True Kaniggit said:

Are those the ones to the east of the Sea of Rhun with the forest near the southern half? I didn't recognize those ones.

Yeah. The Red Mountains. They appear in Tolkien's sketches for First Age matter, and I believe they're mentioned in The Silmarillion as the Valar raised them when Morgoth destroyed the Two Lamps. 

[Ghjhero]

It looks like they’re going to be periodically releasing cryptic tweets. They’re filling in the map they tweeted out. My sources on Twitter tell me one important detail appears to be the land of Rohan being labeled as Calenardhon instead. This was before Eorl the Young came and was granted the province by Gondor for his help in defeating the Balchoth. 

That occurred in 2510 TA and Aragorn was born till 2931 TA, so perhaps the show isn’t going to be about a young Aragorn? Might we be so lucky as to get a show about the war between the Elves and Sauron in the second age, maybe even finish with the Last Alliance? I think that’d be the more attractive story. 

[Ran]

28 minutes ago, Ghjhero said:

It looks like they’re going to be periodically releasing cryptic tweets. They’re filling in the map they tweeted out. My sources on Twitter tell me one important detail appears to be the land of Rohan being labeled as Calenardhon instead. This was before Eorl the Young came and was granted the province by Gondor for his help in defeating the Balchoth. 

They've said that the show isn't LotR but will feature characters from LotR, though. But I guess they could mean Gandalf and the elves?

[Ghjhero]

45 minutes ago, Ran said:

They've said that the show isn't LotR but will feature characters from LotR, though. But I guess they could mean Gandalf and the elves?

That could work, makes me wonder how much they are obscuring the truth or misdirecting people’s guesses. 

Also- I’ve been trying to remember what book gives the best and most detailed account of Celebrimbor and the war between the elves and Sauron in the Second Age. Is it the Silmarillion of the Unfinished Tales?

[Corvinus85]

1 hour ago, Ran said:

They've said that the show isn't LotR but will feature characters from LotR, though. But I guess they could mean Gandalf and the elves?

It could also mean the Witch-king of Angmar. 

[Ran]

24 minutes ago, Corvinus said:

It could also mean the Witch-king of Angmar. 

I think they specifically said it'd feature characters fans know and love or something such. Gandalf, Legolas, Elrond, Arwen, Galadriel -- yes -- the Witch-king -- not so much.

That said, Google reminds me that TheOneRing.net reported that multiple sources told them it'd focus on Aragorn before LotR. I suspect that's still likeliest, unless plans have changed.

[RhaenysBee]

As someone who could barely get through the books and isn’t a die hard Tolkien fan, but rather a die hard LOTR movies fan, I have very basic and lowly expectations. 

I want them to buy Viggo Mortensen no matter how much it costs for an intro in which Aragorn tells about his youth to his children, a cute boy and at least two cute girls. And then I want a very well-considered and cleverly casted young Aragorn. And I want Elrond’s twin sons. 

Spoiler

And perhaps I want to find out if Aragorn really was faithful for 60 odd years while roaming Middle Earth and meeting all kinds of exotic mortal young ladies. And yes, “yes” is an answer too, just give him some temptation, make it real. 

If they do this, they’ll have bought my amazon prime subscription.  

 

[Ran]

15 minutes ago, RhaenysBee said:

If they do this, they’ll have bought my amazon prime subscription.  

 

Éowyn doesn't count? She was more or less ready to throw herself at him, to whatever degree Tolkienian characters can throw oneselves at one another.

[RhaenysBee]

11 minutes ago, Ran said:

Éowyn doesn't count? She was more or less ready to throw herself at him, to whatever degree Tolkienian characters can throw oneselves at one another.

It kinda does I suppose, but he was old and mature enough by that time. What would have happened if he met Éowyn when he was 25 or 30? That was before Cerin Amroth too.

Anyway, if they go the young Aragorn route, it’s success will come down to the casting, and the potential romances of Aragorn’s youth won’t matter anyway. 

[Werthead]

On 2/16/2019 at 8:08 AM, Ran said:

Interesting that they're using a map featuring the Orocarni mountains. They don't appear on the standard LotR map. Could mean nothing, could be a hint. If it is a hint, I'd guess it'd be the theory that the focus is on Aragorn is right. We know he traveled widely, into Rhûn, into Harad, and so on.

They're basing the map on some of the maps New Line produced for the original Jackson trilogy, which also had the "Red Mountains" on there, so I think it's nothing more than that.

 

Quote

 

That could work, makes me wonder how much they are obscuring the truth or misdirecting people’s guesses. 

Also- I’ve been trying to remember what book gives the best and most detailed account of Celebrimbor and the war between the elves and Sauron in the Second Age. Is it the Silmarillion of the Unfinished Tales?

 

The Silmarillion. Unfinished Tales focuses on Numenor mostly for the Second Age and then Galadriel and Celeborn.

Or, if you want to rip out your own spleen, you could catch up on the story for the Shadows of Mordor and Shadow of War games, featuring Celebrimbor-as-a-wraith possessing people and revealing that Shelob can shapeshift into a hot woman.

As for the subject matter, Young Aragorn was mooted a lot, but on the basis that the Tolkien Estate (or the remaining members thereof) would never give up the rights to Unfinished Tales or The Silmarillion. If that's changed, they may have preferred to go with adapting Tolkien material from Unfinished Tales instead, and one of the stories in that book is Cirion and Eorl, which describes the founding of Rohan in a lot of detail.

[Werthead]

14 minutes ago, Triskele said:

Pardon my ignorance, but what does "mooted" mean?

Suggested.

[williamjm]

4 hours ago, Ghjhero said:

It looks like they’re going to be periodically releasing cryptic tweets. They’re filling in the map they tweeted out. My sources on Twitter tell me one important detail appears to be the land of Rohan being labeled as Calenardhon instead. This was before Eorl the Young came and was granted the province by Gondor for his help in defeating the Balchoth. 

That occurred in 2510 TA and Aragorn was born till 2931 TA, so perhaps the show isn’t going to be about a young Aragorn? Might we be so lucky as to get a show about the war between the Elves and Sauron in the second age, maybe even finish with the Last Alliance? I think that’d be the more attractive story. 

That does sound like a more interesting show than The Adventures of Young Aragorn.

[Calibandar]

4 hours ago, Ghjhero said:

That could work, makes me wonder how much they are obscuring the truth or misdirecting people’s guesses. 

Also- I’ve been trying to remember what book gives the best and most detailed account of Celebrimbor and the war between the elves and Sauron in the Second Age. Is it the Silmarillion of the Unfinished Tales?

Of those two, the Silmarillion.

I've been trying to think which one of the History of Middle Earth books covers this in some other detail, I do know either vol. 11 or 12 has an extended Tale of Years of the Second Age.

[Ran]

All the trades, and Amazon itself, were quite clear that the rights were related specifically to The Lord of the Rings. But of course the LotR appendices provide an abbreviated recounting of Eorl leading the Éothéod and the Steward Cirion giving them the Riddermark, etc.

[Slurktan]

I still have to think it's Aragorn going walkabout still with that map.  Not only are the Orocarni on that map but also Umbar is there in the south which isn't on most maps either

No matter how much I'd love an anthology type series about the years 1970-2002 in the Third Age lol.

As for the question on Celembrimbor the most specifically on him and Eregion is in the Celeborn and Galadriel section of Unfinished Tales.  There is a bit repeated from that and slightly elaborated (the Feanor as Gramps bits not the alternate versions)  in The Peoples of Middle Earth but that's most of it.