Television THE RINGS OF POWER (Only 37% of Viewers Finished the Series, post #1917)

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: March 7, 2019

Amazon Confirms the Setting Will Be the Second Age for LORD OF THE RINGS TV Series

As author J.R.R. Tolkien once said of writing his Middle-earthian books, “I wisely started with a map.” So, over the past couple of weeks, Amazon too started promoting its forthcoming The Lord of the Rings series by releasing a series of maps. While they sparked a lively debate from fans about what they all mean for the series, the time period setting is now confirmed.

“Welcome to the Second Age,” Amazon tweeted on Thursday morning.

A long-standing theory posited the series would focus on a younger Aragorn, played in Peter Jackson’s films by Viggo Mortensen. However, that character, the future ruler of Gondor, was born during the Third Age. So we can nix that rumor right now.

The Second Age is also known as “The Age of Númenor.” Fans will notice that, in the most recently updated map for the Amazon fantasy epic, the island of Númenor is shown in the bottom left corner.

It’s not yet clear whether Númenor will serve as a major setting for Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings, though its presence already answers some questions.

Númenor is considered a mythic lost city of men in the world of Middle-earth, one established on an island in the Great Sea that had been destroyed for thousands of years by the time of Frodo and Aragorn. In The Second Age, according to Tolkien lore, it was said that the island was brought up from the ocean as a gift to men by the Valar (the gods of Middle-earth). The kingdom would later fall after they defy the laws of the deities.

The Second Age also sees the development of the Elven City of Rivendell, the Dark Lord Sauron famously forging the dark Ring of Power, and the races of elves, men, and dwarves all uniting to fight him for the first. The period spans about 3,441 years, so there’s a lot of ground to potentially cover.

JD Payne and Patrick McKay will serve as showrunners for this reportedly costly fantasy epic after their work on Star Trek 4 and Jungle Cruise. Casting is still under wraps for the moment.

https://ew.com/tv/2019/03/07/lord-of-the-rings-series-second-age-amazon/
_____________________________________________________




Update: July 28, 2018

Star Trek 4 Duo JD Payne & Patrick McKay to Develop LORD OF THE RINGS TV Series

Amazon has found its Lord of the Rings duo. Following an extensive search, Amazon Studios has tapped JD Payne and Patrick McKay (Star Trek 4, Jungle Cruise) to develop its forthcoming big-budget take on Lord of the Rings.

Jennifer Salke, who made the announcement Saturday during her debut as head of Amazon Studios at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour, stopped short of saying Payne and McKay would serve as writers or showrunners.

"The rich world that J.R.R. Tolkien created is filled with majesty and heart, wisdom and complexity," longtime friends and writing partners Payne and McKay said in a joint statement. "We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Amazon to bring it to life anew. We feel like Frodo, setting out from the Shire, with a great responsibility in our care — it is the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime.”

McKay and Payne met on the debate team in high school more than two decades ago. They wrote Paramount's Star Trek 4 for producer J.J. Abrams and adapted Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt feature Jungle Cruise for Disney. The duo also set up their original 2017 Blacklist drama script Escape with Oscar-nominated producer Mike DeLuca.

Amazon, now overseen by new head of TV and film Jennifer Salke, landed global rights to the Lord of the Rings series for the small screen in November 2017 in what sources estimated was a deal worth $250 million with the Tolkien estate. Under the terms of the pact, a Lord of the Rings series must be in production within two years. When casting, set building and visual effects are factored in, the LOTR deal is expected to tally more than $1 billion.

The mega-deal is said to be for five seasons plus a potential spinoff. Amazon previously described the LOTR series as being set in Middle-Earth and exploring new storylines preceding Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring. Amazon will produce in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and Warner Bros. Entertainment's New Line.

'Lord of the Rings': Amazon Taps 'Star Trek 4' Duo JD Payne and Patrick McKay to Develop TV Series

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: November 15, 2017

Amazon's LORD OF THE RINGS TV Series Budget Could Possibly Hit $1 Billion

Have Amazon and Disney both found their Game of Thrones?

Amazon Studios announced Nov. 13 that it is teaming with the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien, publisher HarperCollins and New Line Cinema to bring The Lord of the Rings to TV with a multiple-season commitment. That news followed Disney CEO Bob Iger's Nov. 9 reveal that the company would create a live-action Star Wars series for its forthcoming subscription video service.

The big bets by streaming services new and established on well-known IP come after CBS All Access set new subscriber records for its SVOD service with the launch of Star Trek: Discovery, the first new live-action series in the franchise in decades (it already has been renewed for a second season).

"The shift is the speed of things," ICM Partners managing director Chris Silbermann tells THR. "Now there is so much pressure to move the needle quickly, so this rush to big shows, big franchises, big budgets, big talent is all about making noise and making it fast."

Amazon's megadeal for The Lord of the Rings is believed to be for five seasons — plus a potential spinoff — with insiders putting the price tag for global rights at around $250 million. Once production budgets, casting, writers, producers and visual effects are factored in, the total for the Rings series — which will be set in Middle-earth and explore storylines preceding The Fellowship of the Ring — could hit $1 billion. Yes, $1 billion for a TV show.

"This is a unique opportunity to tell new stories in a magical world that is a global phenomenon," Amazon head of scripted Sharon Tal Yguado tells THR in justifying the deal. "As we build our diverse portfolio of programming, we are making some of our big bets on tentpole series."

The push for major IP comes as the TV landscape has evolved from a passive position ("All content is good content") to one more active, as viewers must decide which of 500-plus scripted options to keep up with. Says Silbermann, "The new world is built on value creation and things that get viewers' attention."

Will Amazon's 'Lord of the Rings' Series Be TV's Most Expensive Show of All Time?
______________________________________________________




Update: November 3, 2017

Amazon, Warner Bros. in Talks for THE LORD OF THE RINGS Series Adaptation

Warner Bros. Television and the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien are in talks with Amazon Studios to develop a series based on the late author’s The Lord of the Rings novels. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is said by sources with knowledge of the situation to be personally involved in the negotiations, which are still in very early stages. No deal has been set.

The studio and the Tolkien estate have been shopping a series based on the classic fantasy novels and their assortment of hobbits, wizards, and warriors, sparking a competitive situation from which Amazon has emerged as the frontrunner. Representatives for Amazon and Warner Bros. declined to comment.

It is uncommon for Bezos — known to be a fan of high fantasy and science fiction — to involve himself personally in dealmaking for Amazon Studios. But talks for The Lord of the Rings come at an uncommon moment for the e-commerce giant’s video-entertainment division. Last month Amazon Studios flushed its executive ranks, with president Roy Price, head of scripted Joe Lewis, and head of unscripted Conrad Riggs all departing. Price’s departure came just days after he was suspended on the heels of a sexual harassment allegation made against him by a producer on the company’s original series The Man in the High Castle. Lewis and Riggs’ departures followed a week later.

But the pursuit of The Lord of the Rings is in line with a new programming mandate dictated this year by Bezos, who, months before Price departed, ordered him to shift Amazon Studios away from niche, naturalistic series such as Transparent and Mozart in the Jungle and toward large-scale genre programming with potential for broad international appeal. As part of that shift, Amazon canceled two series, Z: The Beginning of Everything and The Last Tycoon, and began shifting resources away from Lewis’ development team and to a unit led by event-series exec Sharon Tal Yguado. With Lewis’ departure, Tal Yguado was named head of scripted series, reporting to Price’s interim replacement, Amazon Studios COO Albert Cheng.

The fact that a Lord of the Rings series is being shopped by Warner Bros. marks a thaw in the relationship between the studio and the Tolkien estate, which in July settled a massive lawsuit that had dragged on since 2012. The dispute, with Tolkien’s heirs and publisher HarperCollins on one side and Warner Bros. — which produced director Peter Jackon’s live-action feature film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and its prequel, The Hobbit — on the other, stemmed from the use characters from the movies in online slot machines and other games.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but a legal filing stated that no fees or costs were to be awarded by the court and that no party was entitled to recover fees or costs.

‘The Lord of the Rings’: Amazon and Warner Bros. in Talks for Series Adaptation (Exclusive)

 

[Dragonlordxxxxx]

Update: May 21, 2019

Game of Thrones Writer and Co-Executive Producer Joins LORD OF THE RINGS as Consultant

Bryan Cogman is trading one iconic fantasy world for another. Cogman, who most recently worked as a writer and co-executive producer on “Game of Thrones,” has signed on to consult on the upcoming “Lord of the Rings” series at Amazon, Variety has learned from sources. He will work alongside the writing team of JD Payne and Patrick McKay, who were announced to be developing the series for Amazon back in July.

Cogman joins the series after having signed an overall deal with Amazon back in September. He began his time on “Game of Thrones” as the assistant to series creators and showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. He was known for having an encyclopedic knowledge of the world of Westeros created by George R.R. Martin. The final episode he wrote for that series was the second episode of Season 8, “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Cogman was also one of the writers chosen to develop a new series set in the “Game of Thrones” universe, but he confirmed in an interview with Variety in April that his project was not moving forward. He is also attached to write the screenplay for the new live-action version of “The Sword in the Stone.”

Little is known about the “Lord of the Rings” series beyond the fact it will explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring.” Variety exclusively reported in November 2017 that a “Lord of the Rings” series was in the works at Amazon, with the streamer announcing a a multi-season production commitment shortly thereafter. The series will be produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/lo...nes-1203222753/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

 

[GhostZ06]

Amazon and Warner Bros. in Talks for THE LORD OF THE RINGS Series Adaptation

Warner Bros. Television and the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien are in talks with Amazon Studios to develop a series based on the late author’s “The Lord of the Rings” novels. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is said by sources with knowledge of the situation to be personally involved in the negotiations, which are still in very early stages. No deal has been set.

The studio and the Tolkien estate have been shopping a series based on the classic fantasy novels and their assortment of hobbits, wizards, and warriors, sparking a competitive situation from which Amazon has emerged as the frontrunner. Representatives for Amazon and Warner Bros. declined to comment.

It is uncommon for Bezos — known to be a fan of high fantasy and science fiction — to involve himself personally in dealmaking for Amazon Studios. But talks for “The Lord of the Rings” come at an uncommon moment for the e-commerce giant’s video-entertainment division. Last month Amazon Studios flushed its executive ranks, with president Roy Price, head of scripted Joe Lewis, and head of unscripted Conrad Riggs all departing. Price’s departure came just days after he was suspended on the heels of a sexual harassment allegation made against him by a producer on the company’s original series “The Man in the High Castle.” Lewis and Riggs’ departures followed a week later.

But the pursuit of “The Lord of the Rings” is in line with a new programming mandate dictated this year by Bezos, who, months before Price departed, ordered him to shift Amazon Studios away from niche, naturalistic series such as “Transparent” and “Mozart in the Jungle” and toward large-scale genre programming with potential for broad international appeal. As part of that shift, Amazon canceled two series, “Z: The Beginning of Everything” and “The Last Tycoon,” and began shifting resources away from Lewis’ development team and to a unit led by event-series exec Sharon Tal Yguado. With Lewis’ departure, Tal Yguado was named head of scripted series, reporting to Price’s interim replacement, Amazon Studios COO Albert Cheng.

The fact that a “Lord of the Rings” series is being shopped by Warner Bros. marks a thaw in the relationship between the studio and the Tolkien estate, which in July settled a massive lawsuit that had dragged on since 2012. The dispute, with Tolkien’s heirs and publisher HarperCollins on one side and Warner Bros. — which produced director Peter Jackon’s live-action feature film adaptations of “The Lord of the Rings” and its prequel, “The Hobbit” — on the other, stemmed from the use characters from the movies in online slot machines and other games.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but a legal filing stated that no fees or costs were to be awarded by the court and that no party was entitled to recover fees or costs.

‘Lord of the Rings’: Amazon, Warner Bros. in Talks for Series Adaptation (Exclusive)

that could be reallly good or really bad

 

[Myrddin Wild]

Nice! Love the movies & the world.

Will be difficult to wrap my head around new characters or even the same characters with different actors... but I'm definitely interested.

 

[milliniar]

On mtv before the shanara Chronicles

 

[Magooglie]

Is this the outcome of Bezos being jealous of HBO and Game of Thrones?

 

[heavyarms21]

It would need a GOT type budget

 

[heavyarms21]

On mtv before the shanara Chronicles

Are the Shanara Chronicles any good ?

 

[mushishi]

Is this the outcome of Bezos being jealous of HBO and Game of Thrones?

I hope so. Rings as a tv series done right would be epic.

 

[milliniar]

Are the Shanara Chronicles any good ?

Not really, a guilty pleasure show because hot girls.

 

[Tyrannosaurus rex]

I've wanted this for a long time. They could finally adapt the books without cutting out huge parts.

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

Holy fucking fuck are they beating the shit out of this dead ass horse.

 

[SSgt Dickweed]

Holy fucking fuck are they beating the shit out of this dead ass horse.

There are stories to be told about Middle Earth for sure. It's all about the right implementation: start fresh in the sense that they introduce new stories and new characters from that litererary universe.

Sadly, it will probably involve a lot of tie-ins to the original trilogy, like what The Hobbit trilogy did, and what this new Star Wars is doing.

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

There are stories to be told about Middle Earth for sure. It's all about the right implementation: start fresh in the sense that they introduce new stories and new characters from that litererary universe.

Sadly, it will probably involve a lot of tie-ins to the original trilogy, like what The Hobbit trilogy did, and what this new Star Wars is doing.

I'm good with the original films. They were done very well and are a good representation of the main story. The Hobbit was cool too. But man, they need to take some time away from this. I feel like there's a new LoTR spin off film every other year.

 

[Loiosh]

I've wanted this for a long time. They could finally adapt the books without cutting out huge parts.

Or they could tap the insane riches of other stories in the Silmarillion.

 

[Loiosh]

Now his wrath was kindled to madness, and he leapt forth on horseback, and many riders with him; and they pursued the heralds and slew them, and drove on deep into the main host. And seeing this all the host of the Noldor was set on fire, and Fingon put on his white helm and sounded his trumpets, and all the host of Hithlum leapt forth from the hills in sudden onslaught. The light of the drawing of the swords of the Noldor was like a fire in a field of reeds; and so fell and swift was their onset that almost the designs of Morgoth went astray. Before the army that he sent westward could be strengthened it was swept away, and the banners of Fingon passed over Anfauglith and were raised before the walls of Angband.​

 

[Law Talkin’ Guy]

So this will be another adaptation of the books, or just a show that takes place in Middle Earth?

Could be interested in the latter, but definitely not the former. Can’t see a show having the budget to compete with the Jackson trilogy.

 

[iThrillhouse]

moves will still be better...

original series is so comprehensive and still look WAYYYY ahead of their time.

 

[Protectandserve]

Amazon could do it justice.