Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Amazon had inked a deal to bring a TV series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic ‘The Lord of the Rings’ to their streaming platform. The deal includes multiple seasons of the show and allows for the possibility of a spinoff. To call this big news would be an understatement. Tolkien’s work is beloved on a level rivaled by few works in any medium.
With this being the case, it’s hardly surprising that people already have strong feelings about the series, despite little more than its existence having been confirmed to date. Among those who have already voiced their opinions is John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli in Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of the trilogy. Speaking with Den of Geek, Rhys-Davies made clear that he finds the whole endeavor rather cynical:
Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com
“Well, you know they have the money to do it. Why we quite need ‘Lord of the Rings’ as a TV series baffles me slightly… I mean, poor Tolkien must be spinning in his grave. That is the point you see – it’s not about doing it better, it’s about making more money, that’s all. If they think they can make more money, then they will.”
According to the official announcement, Amazon’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ series will feature “previously unexplored stories based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings.” This reportedly includes material set prior to ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’, but it remains unclear whether that means a long hoped for adaptation of ‘The Silmarillion’, stories drawn from the novel’s various appendices, wholly original material, or something else altogether. Also unclear is whether the series will be entirely new (or not previously adapted) material or if it will once again adapt (in part or in whole) Tolkien’s novels.
Do you share Rhys-Davies skepticism of the upcoming series? What sort of stories would you like to see the series cover? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back with ScienceFiction.com for more on Amazon’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ series as it becomes available!
