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Amazon orders multiple seasons of the Lord of the Rings TV series

By Patrick Schmidt

HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 29: (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER AND US TABS OUT) Barrie M Osborne , Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, pose with their Oscars for Best Picture for 'The Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King' during the 76th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater on February 29, 2004 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 29: (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER AND US TABS OUT) Barrie M Osborne , Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, pose with their Oscars for Best Picture for 'The Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King' during the 76th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater on February 29, 2004 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images) /
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The Lord of the Rings TV series is coming to Amazon Prime Video.

Middle Earth is coming to Amazon Video. On Monday, Amazon Studios announced a multiple-season commitment to a Lord of the Rings TV series. This came together quickly after news was first reported earlier this month that Amazon was in discussions to bring the Tolkien novels to the small screen.

This marks the first big move for Amazon Studios since a mandate from CEO Jeff Bezos to deliver a “Game of Thrones” for the retail giant’s branch of streaming video. The Lord of the Rings franchise could be just that for Bezos and Amazon. The franchise already has a built-in fanbase from the novels and the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit series of movies as well.

Now, the next adaptation will live on Amazon with a multiple-season commitment, so this is all really exciting for Amazon and fans of the characters and stories that exist in J.R.R. Tolkien’s universe. The show is set to take place before the events of Peter Jackson’s trilogy, so it’ll be a prequel in that sense and potential spin-offs are already being discussed.

“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, Amazon Studios, via The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”

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Now that the rights are secure, the real heavy lifting can take place. A script has to be written, actors have to be cast and then they need to film the series, so it may still be a bit of a lengthy wait until fans can actually watch the series. As more details emerge, we will be sure to write about it here as this could be the biggest thing to happen to Amazon Studios since its forming a few years ago.

Amazon Studios and the Tolkien Estate will produce the series along with publisher HarperCollins and New Line Cinema.

What storylines, locations and characters from the Lord of the Rings novels do you hope to see featured in the upcoming Amazon series?

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