Amazon Video announced on Monday, November 13, that "The Lord of the Rings" TV series will move forward on the platform. Variety first reported the news and got an exclusive report on November 3rd.
According to the article, the streaming service is giving the series a multi-season production commitment, something not so common on TV these days. The television adaptation will explore stories that happened in Middle Earth before "The Fellowship of the Ring," the first volume of the books written by J.R.R. Tolkien.
To Sharon Tal Yguado, head of scripted series for Amazon Studios, "The Lord of the Rings" is a cultural phenomenon that was able to go through generations, and able to transcend to the big screen.
Yguado also said that it is an honor to be working with Tolkien's Estate and Trust.
The deal made between Amazon and Tolkien's estate also includes potentials spin-off series. The production will be made by Amazon Studios, HarperCollins and New Line Cinema, one of the many divisions of Warner Bros. Entertainment.
Movies
Peter Jackson was responsible for the adapted adapted "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" to the movies. Just the first trilogy itself, released between 2001 and 2003, earned a combined gross of 6 billion dollars worldwide.
In total, the series won 17 Academy Awards. "The Return of the King" was the winner in 11 categories, including Best Picture in 2004. The cast was led by Elijah Wood as Frodo, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, Orlando Bloom as the elf Legolas, and other actors.
After 10 years, Jackson returned to the universe created by J.R.R. Tolkien with the trilogy "The Hobbit," led by Martin Freeman. The three movies were "An Unexpected Journey," "The Desolation of Smaug," and "The Battle of Five Armies." They, differently from the first trilogy, won only one Academy Award and earned almost $3 billion worldwide.
Amazon Video
Amazon Video is an Internet video on demand service owned and operated by Amazon, that was launched in September 2006 as Amazon Unbox in the United States.
Now, the streaming service has several critically acclaimed TV series, like "Sneaky Pete," "Bosch," "Transparent," "Mozart in the Jungle," "One Mississippi," and "The Tick." The platform is also responsible for being the international distributor for series like "American Gods."
Amazon Prime Video, as it is known outside the U.S., has been available in more than 200 countries since December 2016, except Mainland China, North Korea, Syria, and Iran.
