With so much money and time being poured into the project, one question that naturally arises is how much Middle Earth cinema we're going to have coming down the pike. Naturally, then, Amazon would be foolish not to at least have one eye on an extended Middle Earth universe of sorts, especially when they're working with the dense and storied lore of one of the most popular universe creators of all time, J.R.R. Remember, we live in an era where Avengers: Endgame made nearly three-quarters of its box office earnings internationally — with China alone bringing in over 30 percent of that global total. By Lindsay MacDonald Dec 3, 2020 11:38 AM EST. Seriously, the analogy holds up, as they made sure the writers were pretty much cut off from the daylight as they worked on the plotlines and scripts. Are names like Oren, Tyra, and Beldor being thrown around to cover up the possible involvement of existing characters like Sauron and Galadriel, or is Amazon building a foundation beyond the source material? Curiously, several of the characters that have been named or rumored for Amazon's Lord of the Rings so far do not exist in Tolkien's writing. While there is still plenty of time for changes and additions, the current list of actors involved in the show are as follows: Morfydd Clark (rumored to be playing a Second Age version of Galadriel), Markella Kavenagh (supposedly playing a character named Tyra), Robert Aramayo (replacing Will Poulter and said to be playing a character named Beldor), Nazanin Boniadi, Owain Arthur, Tom Budge, Ismael Cruz Córdova (Middle-earth's first latino character), Ema Horvath, Joseph Mawle (reportedly playing major antagonist Oren), Tyroe Muhafidin, Megan Richards, Charlie Vickers, Dylan Smith, and Sophia Nomvete. A Historic Budget For A Multi-Year Gamble. Audiences hadn’t seen anything quite like The Fellowship of the Ring when the movie released in December 2001. A third map followed seven days after that, accompanied by the line "Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die." The quote hearkens back to the Oxford professor's roots and his infatuation with worldbuilding and geography. Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel will cost the company an estimated $500 million, according to Reuters. So you can bet that Amazon is counting on a healthy response outside the good ol' U.S. of A. in order to help float their #LOTRonPrime boat. Amazon Prime acquired the television and digits rights for a whopping $250 million dollars in 2017. He clarified that Amazon does indeed have a "relatively free hand when it comes to adding something, since... very few details are known about this time span." 1 year ago. Amazon may have picked the first cast member for its upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series. HBO has Game of Thrones. The series will explore times millennia before the years of J.R.R. As Shippey himself stated, "It must be canonical, it is impossible to change the boundaries which Tolkien has created, it is necessary to remain 'Tolkienian.'". While budgets and numbers are always hard to pin down (especially early on in production), there's little doubt that Amazon's adventures through Middle Earth are going to cost the studio a tidy sum. That's billion. However, it wasn't long after this belated start that bad news arrived from the set. This one was captioned "Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone." Report: Amazon to spend half a billion on the hobbits. She added that the hope is to have the show "on the air" by 2021. This macro view of Middle Earth exposed one critical piece of information in the bottom left corner that changed everything: the island of Númenor. Amazon Studios reportedly signed a $250 million contract with Tolkien's estate, HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema to produce the multi-season show for TV. Lord of the Rings TV Series Has an Expensive Budget In 2017, when it was announced that Amazon won the bidding war against Netflix and HBO to acquire the rights,it was reported to have cost $250 million. © Copyright 2020 Meredith Corporation. Of course, there's still the question of that spin-off series, too. There's no doubt that the Lord of the Rings project is a pretty big deal for Amazon. They also want circus performers, magicians, dancers, jugglers, stilt-walkers, redheads of all ages, androgynous and ethereal body types, and actors from practically all regions of the globe. Interestingly, one could surmise that Mr. Jackson has been ready for this event since he rolled cameras on his own trilogy 20 years ago. Whether the game ultimately ties into anything from the coming show or not, it appears that Amazon's exploration of Tolkien's world is only just beginning. As if that wasn't enough, rumors immediately began swirling regarding how much they planned on shelling out to, you know, actually make the show. Amazon's Lord of the Rings prequel series may be at least a year from its debut, but the company has begun quietly teasing this highly ambitious, highly expensive project. Since then, reports have moved the timing of the show back into Middle Earth's Second Age, which leaves it firmly out of the reach of Aragorn's lifespan — we're talking about a period of time that ended nearly three thousand years before the ranger was even born. One important factor that many diehard fans are doubtlessly nervous about is the amount of leeway that Amazon Studios will have over the content itself. One of the show's stunt performers, Elissa Cadwell, had performed a planned stunt in which she fell into a tank of water. In early March 2020, earlier rumors were confirmed when it was announced that Maxim Baldry was joining the show in a lead role. By Mat Elfring on January 17, 2020 at 6:35AM PST While still intimidating, Sauron's rise to power in the Second Age is a little more subtle — and arguably more interesting. With a "B.". This Project is already known as the biggest budget in television history, being more than 1$ billion dollars. Sources told several media outlets today that Australian actress … The question is, will we get to see more leaked footage before the show hits the air, or will the studio manage to keep a tight lid on the project. An exact answer will have to wait, as no official release date has yet been announced. We already knew Amazon paid $250 million for the rights alone, and that the show will be a prequel that explores new storylines that take place prior to the events of The Fellowship of the Ring in author J.R.R. 4.7 out of 5 stars 10,542. Regardless of the specific characters, the list of actors involved in the project is very promising — especially for Tolkien aficionados who felt burned by the diminishing returns of the Hobbit trilogy — for one specific reason: they're relatively unknown. Unfortunately, there's been little other information about the story so far. The game does not appear to be directly linked to the show, but that hardly disqualifies it as a part of the greater continuity that Amazon is in position to propagate. The question of where the project will primarily be produced, though, was officially answered in mid-2019 when it was announced that a "huge" part of the show would be filmed in none other than Peter Jackson's old stomping grounds of New Zealand — Amazon apparently decided that they simply couldn't beat the awe-inspiring scenery from the big-screen Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies. "What do you mean another Gandalf?" It certainly seems that Amazon is putting its gobs of Middle Earth cash to good use in the creative department so far. … However, a sizable number of rumblings and leaks — not to mention a curious set of maps — have finally surfaced. As COVID-19 tore across the globe, shutting down economies and quarantining people by the tens of millions, Amazon execs made the decision to indefinitely shut down production on the project, even going so far as to tell staffers that "there are no clear answers to when we will resume.". By Lindsay MacDonald Dec 3, 2020 11:38 AM EST. While it seems obvious that a series based on The Lord of the Rings would take place relatively contemporaneous to the events of Tolkien’s novel, that is not as much as a given as one might think. In the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie. While he initially flat out denied being involved, multiple reports have refused to confirm this fact, with Jennifer Salke herself stating that the lack of any other specific news wasn't a negative. Elijah Wood has concerns over the Lord of The Rings Amazon Prime series and its $1billion budget Adam Miller Friday 26 Apr 2019 12:41 pm Share this article via … Several months after the acquisition, The Hollywood Reporter shared the details of the deal, indicating that the series has a five-season commitment. Amazon doesn't think so. Better luck next time, folks. Apart from Gandalf, the only other real contender (from the original nine members of the Fellowship, at least) could possibly be Legolas, thanks to his immortal Elven blood. On March 7, 2019, Amazon Studios posted one final map along with the last line of the poem: "One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie." As far as big-picture stuff goes, the studio is reportedly laying the groundwork for a solid five-season run, along with a possible spinoff (via The Hollywood Reporter). Amazon's 'Lord Of The Rings' series is going to cost them a billion dollars, but at least they get five seasons out of it. Amazon's billion-dollar budget Lord of the Rings series will return to film in Middle Earth, it's been confirmed.. Or New Zealand, as it's also known. No expenses are spared as Amazon readies itself to provide the creators of 'Lord of the Rings' with whatever tools they require to bring the story of Middle Earth back to its former glory again. And there's a security guard that sits outside, and you have to have a fingerprint to get in there...". Other shots were filled with mundane images of vans, trucks, orange traffic cones, and signs. But the fact that they can't alter the primary narrative nor add anything counter to what Tolkien has written is a balm for those still licking their wounds from the flagrant disregard for canon that The Hobbit trilogy, in particular, displayed. The Lord of The Rings TV show will be the most expensive series in history. J.R.R. Lord Of The Rings TV Show On Amazon Gets Cast Reveal Featuring actors from Game of Thrones, Crawl, and more. The question is, what has Amazon Studios been up to since the earth-shaking news of the rights acquisition broke back in 2017? However, the delay may also create an artificially short window between the first two seasons. The Sauron of that era is without corporeal form after being defeated by the armies of the Last Alliance — that's the opening scene of The Fellowship of the Ring, in which Isildur cuts the ring off of Sauron's black-armored hand. This news came with the added tidbit that the crew would be going on a four- or five-month hiatus after they wrapped filming on the first two episodes of the first season. While details regarding the lead cast may be in short supply, we do know some details about what Amazon wants from their extras. It is projected to progress at least five seasons. After all, the Gondorian king's pedigree stretches back 6,000 years to the beginning moments of the Second Age, when his ancestor Elros (brother of Elrond) established the very kingship that eventually helps Aragorn claim the crown of Gondor. Of a bit more interest, director J.A. The director followed the post up with a nocturnal shot a few days later that showed a tree bewitchingly lit up by the lights from the set. by J.R.R. Amazon's 'Lord Of The Rings' TV Series Has A $1 Billion Budget Amazon’s ‘Lord Of The Rings’ TV Series Has A Five-Season Commitment And A … While the cast may be shrouded in mystery, Amazon has finally come right out and announced its Lord of the Rings creative team, and the list of names is lengthy, to say the least. By comparison, HBO spends about $15 million per episode on GoT at this point — probably a bit more for the upcoming final season — plus marketing costs. In late July 2019, Amazon dropped a short but sweet video that highlighted the collective in a very Tolkien-esque way, using epic fantasy music and a typewriter setting to facilitate the roll call. This last map had nine folded panels and a wider view of the landscape. Looks like Amazon isn't willing to risk having any of their Middle Earth secrets leak out before they're good and ready. Now, Amazon has The Lord of the Rings. 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