Christopher Tolkien resigns as director of Tolkien Estate

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Nutso
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Christopher Tolkien resigns as director of Tolkien Estate

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http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2017/11 ... en-estate/
It turns out a “Lord of the Rings” TV series isn’t the biggest Tolkien news of the week or the month or the year.

Christopher Tolkien, son and literary heir of J.R.R. Tolkien, resigned from the Tolkien Estate. And his departure changes everything.

Christopher is 93 and just this year edited and published one of his father’s works “Beren and Luthien,” which as even casual Tolkienites know, refers to his parents with the names of those characters adorning their tombstones.

In the preface of the book he writes, “this is (preemptively) my last book in the long series of editions of my father’s writings.” It seems he was planning to retire already. Personally, learning the greatest Tolkien scholar, and a man who has honored his father in an exemplary way, has left the care of his father’s legacy to others feels like reading the end of LOTR where Galadriel, Elrond and the other great elves leave Middle-earth. There is a keen sadness, but admiration and beauty as well.
Also, Amazon has ordered a Lord of the Rings television series.
https://www.engadget.com/2017/11/13/ama ... tv-series/
There have been rumors that Amazon is working on a Lord of the Rings TV series in its quest to find the next Game of Thrones, and now there's confirmation. Amazon announced today that it has acquired the global TV rights to The Lord of the Rings. Amazon Studios will produce a multiseason television series in cooperation with New Line Cinema, the Tolkien estate and HarperCollins.

It's important to note that this series "will explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring," rather than re-tell the stories depicted onscreen in Peter Jackson's trilogy. The deal, which commits to multiple seasons for the show, also includes a possible spin-off series. Given the popularity of Lord of the Rings as a franchise (we'll just pretend that the endless The Hobbit movies don't exist), the rumors of Amazon prepping a free ad-supported video service couldn't come at a better time.
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Re: Christopher Tolkien resigns as director of Tolkien Estat

Post by Teaos »

I can't see this doing well and I love lotr.
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Re: Christopher Tolkien resigns as director of Tolkien Estat

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Teaos wrote:I can't see this doing well and I love lotr.
Because it's a prequel?
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Re: Christopher Tolkien resigns as director of Tolkien Estat

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Because there is no good story outside LOTR, no great narative. The fall of Arnor is ok but cover centuries.

Like the Silmarillion, great book, no way to be made into a movie.
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Re: Christopher Tolkien resigns as director of Tolkien Estat

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Teaos wrote:Because there is no good story outside LOTR, no great narative. The fall of Arnor is ok but cover centuries.

Like the Silmarillion, great book, no way to be made into a movie.
Making a film of the Silmarillion is like making a film of the Old Testament. You can't turn the whole thing into a film, but you can take bits and pieces and turn them into films. You'd need a bit of opening narration to set the scene, but that's no different from LotR. In terms of individual stories, of the top of my head I can think of quite a few that could make good films if well done (and shooting Peter Jackson if he's seen anywhere near them):

The Ride of Eorl
The Fall of Anor (the events surrounding Arvedui's reign and Eärnur's campaign)
The Akallabêth
Beren and Luthien
The Children of Hurin
The Fall of Gondolin

Some of them would be single films, others could be made into several. Beren and Luthien, for example, is better structured to be made into a trilogy than the Hobbit ever was.
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