Lord of the Rings series!?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I really think it is a missed opportunity to do something really amazing, to present essentially the whole history of Arda and Middle-earth from the Music of the Ainur to the beginning of the Fourth Age in one continuous narrative.

[Alatar]

Agreed.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I could be wrong, but I suspect that one person stands in the way of that happening.

[Primula Baggins]

One 93-year-old person.

[Cerin]

I noticed that Hulu released 'The Handmaid's Tale' on DVD. Does Amazon eventually release their originals on DVD, or must one subscribe?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

So far as I have been able to determine, the Grateful Dead documentary Long Strange Trip which was produced by Amazon and streamed as a six part series was not released on DVD. I'm not familiar with any other Amazon-produced series.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

TORN is reporting on Twitter: "We have confirmed from multiple sources that @AmazonStudios new billion-dollar #LOTR series will open its first season centered on a young Aragorn."

https://twitter.com/theoneringnet/statu ... 7343310848

[Frelga]

Denethor said on TORC that they should have gone with decadent Númenor, and I think it's brilliant. And in the appendices.

Young Aragorn, meh.

[Primula Baggins]

They want a hit, so they need to give the mass market a way in. Familiar characters. I see where they're coming from.

But if it's planned to be multi-season, they'll have to branch out from there, and it sounded as if they're willing to go backward in time as well as forward—which makes sense, if they don't want to start just retelling the movies. So I think we have a chance of seeing decadent Númenor, or at least something other than Aragorn.

I do think there's some real tragedy and drama in Aragorn's early story—the fate of his mother, his first meeting with Arwen, his early battles. It's covered very sketchily in the Appendices. It could be done very well without distorting Tolkien (except for those who believe that fleshing out the details is, in itself, distortion).

[Frelga]

Prim, that's true, but we've seen that story on screen before. Granted, it's because this is the story everyone emulates, but while the source material is the original, the adaptation won't be.

[Alatar]

Pretty much the only way they could go. Established character to draw in casual viewers. Also, this was my prediction from day one, so yay me...

[Alatar]

Nice summary here of what's available to be fleshed out:

https://geektyrant.com/news/amazons-lor ... ung-aragon

Aragorn was born in T.A. 2931 to the Chieftain Arathorn, and received the name Aragorn. But his grandmother, Ivorwen, noted with foresight that Aragorn would one day wear on his breast a green stone.

A legend says that the Wizard Gandalf had brought such a stone from Valinor. He gave the Elessar to the Elven Lady Galadriel, and remarked prophetically that she would pass it to another, who will also be called Elessar. From this would come his royal name Elessar (Quenya for "Elfstone"), and he would be a healer and a renewer.

When Aragorn was two years old, his father was slain when an Orc arrow pierced his eye. As was the tradition of his people, Aragorn was fostered in Rivendell by Elrond as if he was his own son. By Elrond's order, his identity was kept secret, as he feared he would be slain like his father and grandfather. Aragorn was named Estel (Sindarin for "Hope") instead. During his life in Rivendell he accompanied the sons of Elrond, Elrohir and Elladan, on their journeys.

Elrond revealed to "Estel" his true name and ancestry when he returned from a journey with Elrohir and Elladan in T.A. 2952, when Aragorn was twenty-one years old; as part of this revelation, he delivered to him the heirlooms of his House: the shards of Narsil and the Ring of Barahir. Later, Aragorn met and fell in love with Arwen, daughter of Elrond, who had newly returned from Lothlórien.

Estel took up his proper name as Aragorn, sixteenth of the Chieftains of the Dúnedain, and after he took leave of his mother and Elrond he went into The Wild. In T.A. 2953 he was not present in Rivendell for the last meeting of the White Council. Aragorn met Gandalf the Grey in T.A. 2956, and they became great friends. At Gandalf's advice he started to become interested in the Shire and became known as Strider in this region.

From T.A. 2957 to T.A. 2980 Aragorn took great journeys, serving in the armies of King Thengel of Rohan, and Steward Ecthelion II of Gondor. Many of his tasks weakened Sauron and his allies, which during the War of the Ring helped the West survive. His name in Gondor and Rohan was Thorongil (Sindarin for "Eagle of the Star"), and became one of Ecthelion II's most important advisers. He warned Ecthelion of the Corsairs of Umbar, who threathened the Southern Fiefs and was eventually allowed by Ecthelion to attack Umbar. He led a Surprise Attack on the Havens of Umbar with a few Gondorian ships, destroying many of their ships and slaying its lord with only few casualties. After his return in Pelargir he crossed the Anduin and left Gondor to travel into the far East and South "exploring the hearts of men good and evil" and learning about the "plots and devices" of the servants of the Dark Lord.

Later in 2980 on his return to Rivendell he entered Lothlórien, and there once again met Arwen in Caras Galadhon. For one season they lived together in Lothlórien. At midsummer he gave her the heirloom of his House, the Ring of Barahir, and Arwen pledged her hand to him in marriage.

Elrond gave his foster-son permission to marry his daughter, on the condition that he must first become king of both Gondor and Arnor, for only a king would be worthy of Arwen's hand. This harsh condition had a precedent: King Thingol's request that Beren obtain a Silmaril from Morgoth before marrying his daughter Lúthien.

[Dave_LF]

Pretty much the only way they could go. Established character to draw in casual viewers. Also, this was my prediction from day one, so yay me...

Heck; I predicted it right after seeing that little "oh, by the way" at the end of BO5A. But I was expecting another film.

[Inanna]

That is a nice summary, thanks, Alatar

[yovargas]

Meh. A young Aragorn story sounds very boring to me. (But then, the older Aragorn is pretty boring to me.)

[Inanna]

Gasp! *hits Yov with a stick*

[Alatar]

Incidentally I'm playing through some fancfiction set in this time period. Its the aforementioned "Shadow of War" game, where you play Talion, a former guard of the black gate, now inhibited by the wraith of Celebrimbor, trying to save Minas Ithil from becoming Minas Morgul. Gollum turns up, as does a sexy embodiment of Shelob. Canon it ain't but its very entertaining!

[Inanna]

I’m sorry - my brain blew a fuse at “sexy embodiment of SHELOB”.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

My initial reaction to the likelihood of the series being (or at least starting with) young Aragorn (which live Al and Dave I have long assumed) was "meh". But in the right hands, and done well, it could be quite good. We will have to see what kind of approach they take, and how much backstory they try to incorporate from the get-go. If it is done right, decadent Númenor really needs to be part of the tale from the beginning.

[Alatar]

I’m sorry - my brain blew a fuse at “sexy embodiment of SHELOB”.

Yeah, its easily the biggest liberty they take, but even then, Shelob is essentially a Maia, so presumably she could shapeshift? The idea here is that she is hungry for power and is willing to use Gollum and help Talion to undermine Sauron and gain power for herself. Much of the story revolves around Shelob granting them visions to help them acquire the palantír of Minas Ithil. Like I said, it's not Canon, but it shows what an imaginative writer can do with some bare bones events from the appendices. (For better or worse, depending on your perspective)