Amazon's LotR show - first look

Not Valimar. Tirion. This picture (probably) shows the Calacirya, with the Pelori mountains flanking the hill of Túna and the city of Tirion. The Two Trees seem to be in the background.
Yes, Tirion makes more sense.

I recently read (on Reddit, uncorroborated, so take it for what it's worth) that the Tolkien estate has relaxed its permissions to allow for the inclusion of First Age stuff.
 

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Rune

Once A Fool
Yes, Tirion makes more sense.

I recently read (on Reddit, uncorroborated, so take it for what it's worth) that the Tolkien estate has relaxed its permissions to allow for the inclusion of First Age stuff.
It would be more accurate to say that Amazon paid the Tolkien Estate half a billion dollars to negotiate a new license, the details of which are as of yet unknown to outside parties. If what we are seeing actually are the Trees while they live*, then that license must include at least a little from the First Age (or, technically, the time before it).

* The Tolkien Professor makes a pretty compelling argument in this video why that might not be true. Even more compelling when folk start analyzing the high-res picture later in the video. A warning: the video is a pretty lengthy conversation.
 

It would be more accurate to say that Amazon paid the Tolkien Estate half a billion dollars to negotiate a new license, the details of which are as of yet unknown to outside parties. If what we are seeing actually are the Trees while they live*, then that license must include at least a little from the First Age (or, technically, the time before it).

* The Tolkien Professor makes a pretty compelling argument in this video why that might not be true. Even more compelling when folk start analyzing the high-res picture later in the video. A warning: the video is a pretty lengthy conversation.
The argument - that the Trees are dead and Earendil is looking at the setting sun - is definitely an interesting one.

I have to say that if I were making a series about the Second Age with unlimited funds I'd start with the War of Wrath as backstory, in much the same way as Jackson's LoTR starts with the Last Alliance and have Cate Blanchett narrate.

Have lots of Balrogs, Ancalagon the Black, the breaking of Thangorodrim; Sauron submitting to Eonwe and then balking.
 



Middle Earth could be heading to Middle England.
Lord of the Rings: Amazon moves show to UK from New Zealand
It will look like this then.
1628849799451.png
 







CapnZapp

Legend
The problem is:

This is not going to be a show adapting previously written material.

I have found that it nearly always helps to base your show on a book etc.

A second question: will this even attempt a Tolkien feel?

I mean, while Peter Jackson with a couple of minor exceptions strived for a Tolkien feel in the first trilogy, he just shat rabbit poop all over the second.

If I have to choose between hysterical action + bad CGI on one hand, and boobs and sexposition on the other hand... I'm sorry but I'm going to have to choose the latter.

Neither gives me a proper Tolkien feel, but if I'm going to watch a multi-season fantasy show I much rather have people act as adults than children, if they can't act like saints, like in LOTR...
 

CapnZapp

Legend
I heard rumors they wanted to make it GoT like. If it has the nudity, adult material, and other items from GoT I don't think it's going to be very LotR like no matter how pretty they make it.
Just wrote a post on this subject.

Can they get sufficiently gifted writers to emulate a proper Tolkien feel?

Over-analyzing individual images might be a fun exercise but will ultimately tell us nothing.
 


More info.


Actors haven't seen their families for 18 months and Amazon big wigs couldn't fly in.

You can fly film crew in but can't really come and go and MIQ is overloaded.
new Zealand is out, the UK is in

 


The problem is:

This is not going to be a show adapting previously written material.

I have found that it nearly always helps to base your show on a book etc.

I don't know where you are getting that idea from. The series is set in the 2nd Age on Numenor and will involve characters from the written stories, and eventually Sauron, probably both causing the downfall of Numenor and forging the Rings. How do you see none of this being based on Tolkien's work?
 

CapnZapp

Legend
I don't know where you are getting that idea from. The series is set in the 2nd Age on Numenor and will involve characters from the written stories, and eventually Sauron, probably both causing the downfall of Numenor and forging the Rings. How do you see none of this being based on Tolkien's work?
Are you talking about Akallabêth?

Yeah, that's more of a story outline than getting a fully-fledged story to work from.

Sure it's more than nothing, but still, the TV writers don't get story beats, much dialogue, deeper characterization etc from it.

Adapting the Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones (the book seasons) yielded great results. Adapting the Hobbit or Game of Thrones (the napkin outline seasons)... not so much.

But I don't want to sound pessimistic, so let's call it "cautious optimism"... :) Better to expect a little and be pleasantly surprised than expect a lot and be bitterly disappointed!

Cheers
 

MarkB

Legend
Are you talking about Akallabêth?

Yeah, that's more of a story outline than getting a fully-fledged story to work from.

Sure it's more than nothing, but still, the TV writers don't get story beats, much dialogue, deeper characterization etc from it.

Adapting the Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones (the book seasons) yielded great results. Adapting the Hobbit or Game of Thrones (the napkin outline seasons)... not so much.
Sure, but all that proves is that the people who are good at adapting a detailed story are not the same people who are good at crafting a story from scratch based on only a few setting notes. Plenty of people have done well writing original stories set in established settings.
 

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