Amazon outlines plans for Lord of the Rings production and release date
Amazon has outlined their schedule for when Lord of the Rings will begin production and when fans can expect to see the series on Prime Video.
Big things are happening at Amazon under the new direction of Jennifer Salke. After taking over for the disgraced Roy Price, Salke has quickly put her mark on the studio. Amazon has ordered new seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Bosch and Jack Ryan, even before the first season premiered. But the biggest wave was buying the rights from J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate to make a Lord of the Rings series.
There may not be a show that will have as much hype and excitement surrounding it in the next few years than this adaptation.
It’s already being hailed as the most expensive show ever made and that’s before a showrunner is hired, a cast has come together and an official storyline has been announced. Nevertheless, fans are already excited to see what the TV version of this iconic franchise will look like, and most importantly when they can see it.
One of the stipulations after acquiring the rights from the Tolkien estate was that it had a window of time to begin production. The show has to be in production within two years of obtaining the rights, meaning it has to be in production by 2020.
In a wide-ranging interview with Lesley Goldberg of The Hollywood Reporter, Salke explained the plans for Lord of the Rings and whether it’ll meet that window.
"“It’ll be in production in two years; [on the air in] 2021 is the hope. But there are other people who wish it was 2020.”"
Those other people who wish it was 2020 are the legions of fans who wish it was on the air in 2018. You can forgive their lack of patience because of their unbridled enthusiasm surrounding this show.
2021 seems like an eternity, but we’ll wait for it because it’s likely to be incredible and a potential game-changer for Amazon in the ongoing streaming wars with Netflix and Hulu.
Salke also said conversations with Peter Jackson are ongoing, despite the director of the film trilogy denying he’s going to be a part of the Amazon series. And she’s also spoken with three or four groups of writers regardless of Jackson’s involvement.
"We’re in conversations with him that I think are very amicable about how much involvement he wants and what kind. We haven’t figured out exactly what that is yet. He may say he is involved or he’s not involved. We’re still very much in conversation with him about what kind of involvement he would propose."
We’ll be monitoring closely all news, rumors and announcements surrounding Amazon’s production of Lord of the Rings. With a projected release date set for 2021, there figures to be plenty of updates over the next three years.