Hriston
Dungeon Master of Middle-earth (He/him)
I have long thought the film adaptation of the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien (The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings) I would most like to see would be in the form of a series of one-hour episodes, each one covering just one chapter of the book as faithfully as possible.
Another idea I've had for a LotR adjacent TV series was a prequel that covers the events in "The Hunt for the Ring" from Unfinished Tales. The main characters would be Gandalf, Aragorn, Gollum, the Ringwraiths, and Saruman. Act One begins with Sauron's interrogation of Gollum and follows his attempts to track Gollum to the Ring, foiled by Aragorn's eventual capture and imprisonment of Gollum in Mirkwood. In Act Two, Sauron's spies search for the home of the "halflings" but are thwarted by the Dúnedain and the treachery of Saruman, so Sauron launches a dual assault on Mirkwood and Osgiliath. Denethor, Faramir, and Boromir could feature prominenlty here. In Act Three, the Nazgȗl cross the Anduin, searching for the Ring, the Shire, and the escaped Gollum who is also pursued by Legolas and elves from Mirkwood. Gollum winds up hiding in Moria, and the Nazgȗl, unsuccessful, ride to Isengard to parley with Saruman, where it's revealed that Gandalf only just escaped before Saruman was about to turn him over to them. Gandalf is pursued by orcs and wolves of Saruman who tells the Ringwraiths where the Shire is. Riding north, they encounter the "squint-eyed southerner" who informs them that Baggins can be found in Hobbiton. They cross Sarn Ford resisted by Rangers and enter the Shire. The Witch-king, in an attempt to keep the hobbits from escaping to the east, goes to the Barrow-downs to rouse the Barrow-wights against them. Meanwhile, Boromir has the dream about the Sword that was broken and sets out for Rivendell, and Gandalf tames Shadowfax, heads north, and fights the Nazgȗl at Weathertop.
For a sequel to the LotR, I think a series about the voyage of the Ring-bearers into the West would be interesting. The main characters would be Gandalf, Galadriel, Elrond, Frodo, and Bilbo. I always imagined Círdan being on the boat too although he seems to have remained in Middle-earth into the Fourth Age. Maybe he sailed back and forth. Episodes would have an "island of the week" format, resembling the Odyssey or the voyages of Sinbad (or Star Trek). The voyagers would first come to the Western Isles: Tol Himling, Tol Fuin, and Tol Morwen. Tol Fuin in particular could be a dangerous place still full of giant spiders and other horrors. Around the middle of the series, the summit of the Meneltarma could be visited, from which a glimpse of Tol Eressëa might be seen. Later episodes would have the travelers journeying through the Shadowy Seas, falling prey to various enchantments as they come to the Enchanted Isles and the Twilit Isles, and eventually to Tol Eressëa and the West.
Anyway, that's enough from me for now. How about you? What Tolkien derived fiction would you like to see on TV?
Another idea I've had for a LotR adjacent TV series was a prequel that covers the events in "The Hunt for the Ring" from Unfinished Tales. The main characters would be Gandalf, Aragorn, Gollum, the Ringwraiths, and Saruman. Act One begins with Sauron's interrogation of Gollum and follows his attempts to track Gollum to the Ring, foiled by Aragorn's eventual capture and imprisonment of Gollum in Mirkwood. In Act Two, Sauron's spies search for the home of the "halflings" but are thwarted by the Dúnedain and the treachery of Saruman, so Sauron launches a dual assault on Mirkwood and Osgiliath. Denethor, Faramir, and Boromir could feature prominenlty here. In Act Three, the Nazgȗl cross the Anduin, searching for the Ring, the Shire, and the escaped Gollum who is also pursued by Legolas and elves from Mirkwood. Gollum winds up hiding in Moria, and the Nazgȗl, unsuccessful, ride to Isengard to parley with Saruman, where it's revealed that Gandalf only just escaped before Saruman was about to turn him over to them. Gandalf is pursued by orcs and wolves of Saruman who tells the Ringwraiths where the Shire is. Riding north, they encounter the "squint-eyed southerner" who informs them that Baggins can be found in Hobbiton. They cross Sarn Ford resisted by Rangers and enter the Shire. The Witch-king, in an attempt to keep the hobbits from escaping to the east, goes to the Barrow-downs to rouse the Barrow-wights against them. Meanwhile, Boromir has the dream about the Sword that was broken and sets out for Rivendell, and Gandalf tames Shadowfax, heads north, and fights the Nazgȗl at Weathertop.
For a sequel to the LotR, I think a series about the voyage of the Ring-bearers into the West would be interesting. The main characters would be Gandalf, Galadriel, Elrond, Frodo, and Bilbo. I always imagined Círdan being on the boat too although he seems to have remained in Middle-earth into the Fourth Age. Maybe he sailed back and forth. Episodes would have an "island of the week" format, resembling the Odyssey or the voyages of Sinbad (or Star Trek). The voyagers would first come to the Western Isles: Tol Himling, Tol Fuin, and Tol Morwen. Tol Fuin in particular could be a dangerous place still full of giant spiders and other horrors. Around the middle of the series, the summit of the Meneltarma could be visited, from which a glimpse of Tol Eressëa might be seen. Later episodes would have the travelers journeying through the Shadowy Seas, falling prey to various enchantments as they come to the Enchanted Isles and the Twilit Isles, and eventually to Tol Eressëa and the West.
Anyway, that's enough from me for now. How about you? What Tolkien derived fiction would you like to see on TV?
