Regarding Shannara, I think they've done just what they intended to do and it couldn't have happened to a nicer IP. That is to say, they have a certain target audience at MTV (and associates) and this treatment might well be just the way to reach and keep them watching. It's tweeny and twilighty and all of the things that will get it clobbered in reviews by more serious fantasy fans.
So, too, if they had to do this with a popular bit of IP from the past, choosing Shannara gets them both name recognition and a bit of Teflon coating since it was always said to be a Tolkien ripoff. No one is ever seriously going to say that a great, original movie or series could have been made from this work.
This is hardly fair.
I noticed today that "The Shannara Chronicles" is offered for Amazon Prime Instant Video in Germany. Too bad our free test drive for that service ended four days ago; I might actually have been able to watch it.
suddenly married to Lori from "The Walking Dead"