Amazon snaps up the Lord of the Rings TV series

Amazon has thrown its weight behind plans to being J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth to the small screen.

According to Variety, the studio has pledged a ‘multi-season production commitment’ to the plotted ‘Lord of the Rings’ series.

The story that the TV show will take on will reputedly be that which precedes the events of Tolkien’s ‘Fellowship of the Ring’ trilogy.

“The Lord of the Rings’ is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen,” said Sharon Tal Yguado, head of scripted series for Amazon Studios.

“We are honored to be working with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking ‘The Lord of the Rings’ fans on a new epic journey in Middle Earth.”

Representative of the Tolkien estate and publisher Harper Collins Matt Galsor added: “We are delighted that Amazon, with its longstanding commitment to literature, is the home of the first-ever multi-season television series for ‘The Lord of the Rings’.

“Sharon and the team at Amazon Studios have exceptional ideas to bring to the screen previously unexplored stories based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s original writings.”

According to reports, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos is hoping for a show of the calibre of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ to land at Amazon Studios, which will likely mean that it will pull out all the stops for a ‘Lord of the Rings’ series.

As Peter Jackson proved, the storyworld is a colossal money-spinner. The combined gross of his movies came in at around $6 billion worldwide, as well as scooping 17 Oscars.

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