Lord of the Rings TV series synopsis

[Morrus]

There's a synopsis been released for the show. No launch date announced yet.

Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

 

[Dioltach]

Sounds good. I'm glad they decided to move away from the overly familiar Third Age. Plenty of stories to draw from in the Second Age, and the visuals should be stunning if done properly.

 

[Umbran]

Hr. Númenor? I hope they're not doing the Downfall of Númenor - I am not sure the world really needs that story right now.

 

[Ryujin]

The Second Age covers 3000-some-odd years and ends with the defeat of Sauron, and capture of The One Ring. They could be going for the period in which Numenor started to colonize Middle Earth, or perhaps much earlier when Sauron taking the name Annatar and then convincing the Elves to forge The Rings. Either could give a lot of opportunities for good stories and intrigue.

 

[ART!]

I've been assuming the series will be some smooshed together version of 2nd Age events, with Annatar making nice with elves, dwarves, and humans, teaching them awesome things (including: rings!), beguiling the humans into wanting elven immortality, and the fall of Numenor and the breaking of the circles of the world.

 

[Umbran]

and the fall of Numenor

As noted, I hope not. The base story has what these days seems a pretty unfortunate religious message.

 

[ART!]

As noted, I hope not. The base story has what these days seems a pretty unfortunate religious message.

No doubt. I expect a much looser adaptation of Tolkien's work here, though, so they could change things up there.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I seem to recall hearing that the LotR series pilot has completed filming.

My guess is that they're going to do the Fall of Numenor. Judging from the synopsis, it's either that or the War of the Last Alliance, and that seems an unlikely place to start.

 

[Morrus]

This is apparently the most expensive TV show ever made, and it's going to run for at least 5 seasons. Filming in New Zealand so they can keep the look and feel of Peter Jackson's movies.

 

[ART!]

This is apparently the most expensive TV show ever made, and it's going to run for at least 5 seasons. Filming in New Zealand so they can keep the look and feel of Peter Jackson's movies.

IIRC, they even have the rights to use designs, motifs, and the like from the Jackson films - so, for example, the elven architecture in the series will be similar to the elven architecture in the movies, and the same with dwarven weapons and human armor, etc.

It just occurred to me that this series will provide a great opportunity to show a wider diversity of elven and dwarven characters. I don't mean just in terms of real-world ethnicities (which would be great), but just in terms of personality types, backgrounds, etc. We only get to know a couple of dwarves well in the movies, and a few elves. How the Hobbit movies managed to individualize the 13 dwarves is an example of what I'm talking about, I guess.