Lord of the Rings on Prime

[Pontin_Finnberry]

It ain't really new news now, but I think it's a pretty cool cross-fandom kinda thing. Will Poulter who played Eustace in Voyage of the Dawn Treader has been cast for the series. I like this a lot.

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/lor...st-1203321951/

I hope it good and he does well, I also saw this posted Yesterday https://redanianintelligence.com/201...o-play-an-elf/

Edit: just to note this not even real dialogue they are most likely spec auditions using agent made dialogue that they toss at studios, and most don't even make to the producers. but still was interesting post.

[Pontin_Finnberry]

Just posting for those interested it official some Actors are confirmed in LOTR TV series https://twitter.com/LOTRonPrime/stat...915651585?s=19 and this article says cameras roll next month https://deadline.com/2020/01/lord-of...ca-1202830413/

[Pontin_Finnberry]

A few months old but i just saw these Rumors that Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey is out of the Project https://www.theonering.net/torwp/202...out-at-amazon/

[Pontin_Finnberry]

Just today announced More actors on the Project https://www.theonering.net/torwp/202...rings-tv-show/

[Wolfhelm]

Just today announced More actors on the Project https://www.theonering.net/torwp/202...rings-tv-show/

Thanks Pontin, starting to get excited now, god I hope they do a good job of this

[Pontin_Finnberry]

Thanks Pontin, starting to get excited now, god I hope they do a good job of this

Yeah same here, we know they have been given a lot of creative freedom to make and create their own characters and story around the main story which they cannot change, since they only have appendix to work with they have more to fill in extras. I just hope whatever they do is well written with good acting and visuals to see.

[Pontin_Finnberry]

Some official show synopsis, very vague of course but you can guess all the things they plan to do, like this part "From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains" Moria in its hay-day? https://www.theonering.net/torwp/202...-rings-series/

[Pontin_Finnberry]

Some more big confirmed news it seems Amazon indeed has Rights to the Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales my guess is the Estate gave them all of the Second Age stuff so the Akallabeth and parts of the Tales. https://www.theonering.net/torwp/202...ity-halflings/

[wispsong]

I'm really looking forward to the TV show and hope they stay true to Tolkien and don't fill it with todays overly sexualized world view and politically correct scenes.

[Pontin_Finnberry]

I'm really looking forward to the TV show and hope they stay true to Tolkien and don't fill it with todays overly sexualized world view and politically correct scenes.

Same, I hope they do a good job and stay true to the spirit of things.

It is interesting we will see Halflings in the show, but not too surprising.

[subadar]

If the show is set in the 2nd age wouldn't the ringwraiths still be living men with rings of power?

That would be cool to see.

[DavidmeetHal]

I just hope it doesn't go Woke.

[Pontin_Finnberry]

I would also like to note that most of this is all big rumors and they unsure if true or not, however the Rights to The Silmarillion (perhaps Unfinished Tales too) is most likely 100% given that Cast members from LOTR TV series have posted on social media with the Silmarillion, you do not do that if don't have the rights or not making an adaptation of it.

[Radhruin_EU]

If the show is set in the 2nd age wouldn't the ringwraiths still be living men with rings of power?

It depends when it is, the Ring-wraiths made their first appearance about a thousand years before the Downfall of Numenor and so if the story focused more on the lead-up to that then they'd already be a thing. Also awkward to show them as living men because history didn't record who they were, and some things are better left mysterious.

[SniperCT]

It depends when it is, the Ring-wraiths made their first appearance about a thousand years before the Downfall of Numenor and so if the story focused more on the lead-up to that then they'd already be a thing. Also awkward to show them as living men because history didn't record who they were, and some things are better left mysterious.

Well, we do know that several were Numenorean, and the second is named Khamûl and was an Easterling known as the Shadow of the East.

[Radhruin_EU]

Well, we do know that several were Numenorean, and the second is named Khamûl and was an Easterling known as the Shadow of the East.

Certainly some of them were thought to have been Numenorean (not sure about 'several') and yes, there was definitely that Easterling guy. But the thing about them is that to preserve their mystique it might be better to merely hint at their backgrounds without spelling things out in detail, much less showing it on screen. They'd be less scary if humanised like that. Less is more, sometimes. This is one of those things by which we might be able to judge whether that series will have some subtlety to it or not. (Another will be if they can let this series be its own thing or if they're going to make endless callbacks to LOTR - e.g. there's been mention of hobbits, who at the time should have still been off in the East somewhere and be rather different to what people have come to expect from them - they'd have been living in old-style holes, for starters, nothing fancy and be a much tougher bunch who were surviving entirely on their own).

[SniperCT]

Certainly some of them were thought to have been Numenorean (not sure about 'several') and yes, there was definitely that Easterling guy. But the thing about them is that to preserve their mystique it might be better to merely hint at their backgrounds without spelling things out in detail, much less showing it on screen. They'd be less scary if humanised like that. Less is more, sometimes. This is one of those things by which we might be able to judge whether that series will have some subtlety to it or not. (Another will be if they can let this series be its own thing or if they're going to make endless callbacks to LOTR - e.g. there's been mention of hobbits, who at the time should have still been off in the East somewhere and be rather different to what people have come to expect from them - they'd have been living in old-style holes, for starters, nothing fancy and be a much tougher bunch who were surviving entirely on their own).

See, I'm different, I'd love to explore Khamul and his history. I have like, an entire series of headcanons myself, but to see it on screen would be pretty awesome imo.

I really want Akallabeth stuff, too. Tar-Miriel is a personal favorite.

Be really fun to see if they run with the the general atlantis/egyptian theme for Numenor.

[Ranatuor_Erutron]

I’ll keep this simple. I’ve seen this across the board in Tolkien fandom, whether it’s people having a go at the Tolkien Society for hosting a seminar about diversity to people complaining about the “woke” Amazon. I’ll be blunt – I welcome with a loud applause Amazon’s diverse cast, that people from all parts of the Tolkien community may see a character they can identify with – POC, LGBT+, etc. It’s the 21st century, either become more accepting of others, diversity and inclusiveness – or sit in a corner mumbling to yourself how there are characters in Amazon’s version of Tolkien’s world and there is nothing you can do about it. If you get upset with a diverse cast, perhaps the Amazon series is not going to be for you. This is an adaption, not his own work, so you can still sit with the book and imagine everyone is white, if that is what your soul is about. And please, if this is something you do, stop with the woke, CRT and Marxism rubbish – it’s boring and infantile.

Back to the Amazon series. I am really looking forward to it now. TheOneRing.net is reporting in some interesting stuff that allayed some of my fears – I personally wasn’t keen on the series trying to out-challenge GoT (one of the fears I know a lot of fans have had) and if the spy reports coming in are correct – that isn’t what is happening on Amazon’s set. Great news. It looks like they also have some of the Silmarillion/Unfinished Tales rights (to the 2nd Age/Numenor stuff) which is excellent.

https://www.theonering.net/torwp/202...ity-halflings/

Another recent report is showing details of how Unfinished Tales may well be being used to furnish Numenor culture

https://www.theonering.net/torwp/202...n-set-reports/

As I said above – this is an adaption (based on, not direct carbon copy of) and not from J.R.R. Tolkien’s direct hand. So for me it isn’t “canon” but like the films, I will enjoy them as a version of Middle-earth, just like LOTRO is or the One Ring roleplaying game is.
I look forward to exploring Middle-earth, 2022 can’t come soon enough!

--Rana

Ps, Lenny Henry as a Hobbit is just going to be wild

[SniperCT]

I’ll keep this simple. I’ve seen this across the board in Tolkien fandom, whether it’s people having a go at the Tolkien Society for hosting a seminar about diversity to people complaining about the “woke” Amazon. I’ll be blunt – I welcome with a loud applause Amazon’s diverse cast, that people from all parts of the Tolkien community may see a character they can identify with – POC, LGBT+, etc. It’s the 21st century, either becoming more accepting of others, diversity and inclusiveness – or sit in a corner mumbling to yourself how there are characters in Amazon’s version of Tolkien’s world and there is nothing you can do about it. If you get upset with a diverse cast, perhaps the Amazon series is not going to be for you. This is an adaption, not his own work, so you can still sit with the book and imagine everyone is white, if that is what your soul is about. And please, if this is something you do, stop with the woke, CRT and Marxism rubbish – it’s boring and infantile.

Back to the Amazon series. I am really looking forward to it now. TheOneRing.net is reporting in some interesting stuff that allayed some of my fears – I personally wasn’t keen on the series trying to out-challenge GoT (one of the fears I know a lot of fans have had) and if the spy reports coming in are correct – that isn’t what is happening on Amazon’s set. Great news. It looks like they also have some of the Silmarillion/Unfinished Tales rights (to the 2nd Age/Numenor stuff) which is excellent.

https://www.theonering.net/torwp/202...ity-halflings/

Another recent report is showing details of how Unfinished Tales may well be being used to furnish Numenor culture

https://www.theonering.net/torwp/202...n-set-reports/

As I said above – this is an adaption (based on, not direct carbon copy of) and not from J.R.R. Tolkien’s direct hand. So for me it isn’t “canon” but like the films, I will enjoy them as a version of Middle-earth, just like LOTRO is or the One Ring roleplaying game is.
I look forward to exploring Middle-earth, 2022 can’t come soon enough!

--Rana

Ps, Lenny Henry as a Hobbit is just going to be wild

Honestly I was trying to ignore those comments as it's super depressing to me as someone who loves Middle-earth above all other settings and also wants to see myself and my friends reflected in this world, so thank you for spelling out that first part.


Also that info is great to hear. I'm glad they're using UT actually. Makes my hopes for a Khamul come to life along with my hopes for Tar-Miriel


(now give me a first age movie or show with Haleth of the Haladin and Luthien and I'll be set)

[Radhruin_EU]

See, I'm different, I'd love to explore Khamul and his history. I have like, an entire series of headcanons myself, but to see it on screen would be pretty awesome imo.

I really want Akallabeth stuff, too. Tar-Miriel is a personal favorite.

Be really fun to see if they run with the the general atlantis/egyptian theme for Numenor.

Experience suggests that's not really how to tell a satisfying story, though, just provide fan service. There was a ton of that in Star Wars fandom too and trying to pander to it typically had naff results (e.g. Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina) and heck, even Darth Vader's origin story came out really naff in the prequels. So that's a great big "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!" from me to the prospect of that sort of thing happening to Middle-earth as well (having previously seen the sort of hideous guff this led to in MERP). Besides, the thing about the Ring-wraiths is that as their free will was suppressed it didn't really matter who or what they had once been, they were now just catspaws, tools through which Sauron could exercise his will. Guys who aren't even individual characters in any meaningful sense don't need or benefit from a detailed back-story.

Re the 'Egyptian' thing - what Tolkien meant by that was the Numenorean preoccupation with death and the perceived need to preserve the bodies of the dead by mummifying them; we've already seen that in Minas Tirith's Rath Dinen and the Houses of the Dead (and in-game in places like Annuminas, as well - everywhere there are Dunedain tombs). In other words, it's about a cultural attitude to something specific rather than a general theme. And the Atlantis thing, well, that's been so overused in popular culture that it'd probably be wise for them to keep that understated until the Downfall itself.

[DavidmeetHal]

I’ll keep this simple. I’ve seen this across the board in Tolkien fandom, whether it’s people having a go at the Tolkien Society for hosting a seminar about diversity to people complaining about the “woke” Amazon. I’ll be blunt – I welcome with a loud applause Amazon’s diverse cast, that people from all parts of the Tolkien community may see a character they can identify with – POC, LGBT+, etc. It’s the 21st century, either become more accepting of others, diversity and inclusiveness – or sit in a corner mumbling to yourself how there are characters in Amazon’s version of Tolkien’s world and there is nothing you can do about it. If you get upset with a diverse cast, perhaps the Amazon series is not going to be for you. This is an adaption, not his own work, so you can still sit with the book and imagine everyone is white, if that is what your soul is about. And please, if this is something you do, stop with the woke, CRT and Marxism rubbish – it’s boring and infantile.

Because inclusion has gotten to where story telling has taken a back seat to making sure quotas are met for making sure certain social groups are added in fiction. It's not a case of "imagining everyone is white", which is an incredibly racist, idiotic, and bigoted remark.

Until recently, movies and TV shows have always had diverse casts without making it obvious and blatant. But recently, TV shows and movies seem to be like "LOOK! We have someone that isn't white or straight!". It gets really old.

No one here is advocating for white only. We get tired of getting mandatory quotas for different types of social groups getting shoehorned in movies and TV.

[DavidmeetHal]

Honestly I was trying to ignore those comments as it's super depressing to me as someone who loves Middle-earth above all other settings and also wants to see myself and my friends reflected in this world, so thank you for spelling out that first part.

Like I said to the other post above, it's not a case of "keep it white and straight". Diversity has been in movies and TV for quite some time. It's the fact that recently, good story telling has taken a back seat to making sure that quotas are met for including more social groups, and it gets really in your face and obvious.

But anyone that raises an objection to it is automatically labeled some kind of bigot.

And it gets depressing for me to see racist and bigoted comments about whites like the one by Ranatour and knowing that it's acceptable in today's society.


There is a difference between including diversity and being Woke. I don't mind a more diverse cast, but Woke, which is nothing more than cheap fan service? I stand by what I said earlier.

[wispsong]

Like I said to the other post above, it's not a case of "keep it white and straight". Diversity has been in movies and TV for quite some time. It's the fact that recently, good story telling has taken a back seat to making sure that quotas are met for including more social groups, and it gets really in your face and obvious.

But anyone that raises an objection to it is automatically labeled some kind of bigot.

And it gets depressing for me to see racist and bigoted comments about whites like the one by Ranatour and knowing that it's acceptable in today's society.


There is a difference between including diversity and being Woke. I don't mind a more diverse cast, but Woke, which is nothing more than cheap fan service? I stand by what I said earlier.

Well said. There is no reason to include everybody in everything all the time. And sexualization of Tolkiens work should be off limits. But since we can use our imagination I see no problem with a more colorful cast.

Where I draw the line is historical figures like queen Elisabeth I mother will be played by a dark colored actress. The same people though insisted that Cleopatra, another historical figure wasn't white and therefore should be played by a person showing the more appropriate color. But I guess in todays world history doesn't matter.

[Pontin_Finnberry]

I’ll keep this simple. I’ve seen this across the board in Tolkien fandom, whether it’s people having a go at the Tolkien Society for hosting a seminar about diversity to people complaining about the “woke” Amazon. I’ll be blunt – I welcome with a loud applause Amazon’s diverse cast, that people from all parts of the Tolkien community may see a character they can identify with – POC, LGBT+, etc. It’s the 21st century, either become more accepting of others, diversity and inclusiveness – or sit in a corner mumbling to yourself how there are characters in Amazon’s version of Tolkien’s world and there is nothing you can do about it. If you get upset with a diverse cast, perhaps the Amazon series is not going to be for you. This is an adaption, not his own work, so you can still sit with the book and imagine everyone is white, if that is what your soul is about. And please, if this is something you do, stop with the woke, CRT and Marxism rubbish – it’s boring and infantile.

What I don't like about this is that story telling doesn't matter as much anymore with Amazons new announcement on this stuff, when you have to add certain stuff into your film/TV series by the rules Amazon set, you lose all sense of creative freedom by being limited to adding what amazon wants going forward.

[Ranatuor_Erutron]

Hey Pontin,
I 100% agree on storytelling - that is the MOST important aspect. This has got to be a good story.
I'll give you an example from theatre though - just like at the Shakespeare's Globe in London (I've been a few times) the story is the key and each actor will bring their own telling of it to the stage. Does it matter if the actor is female (for say a male role)? A POC? A person from the LGBT+ community? For me - no. I will welcome each interpretation, as long as they are a good performer.

We should not be getting upset someone is playing a role because of who they are. We should be interested in the story they are part of and how they act it. And people are bringing their real prejudices and hatred to this and I say leave them at the door. This series is for everyone