‘Lord of the Rings’ TV show confirmed by Amazon

Gandalf the Grey. Image: Facebook/@lordoftheringstrilogy

Amazon has confirmed in a statement that a new multi-season television show based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” fantasy novels will be made.

The show will be produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line Cinema.

This upcoming series will be set in Middle Earth and based on previously unexplored stories from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original writings. These will include stories preceding “The Fellowship of the Ring”. The deal with Amazon also has potential for additional spinoffs.

The series will be available for streaming to Amazon Prime members, through their app for TVs and mobile devices.

Matt Galsor, a representative for the Tolkien Estate and Trust and HarperCollins said, “We are delighted that Amazon, with its longstanding commitment to literature, is the home of the first-ever multi-season television series for ‘The Lord of the Rings’.”

Director Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” movie trilogy premiered in 2001 and grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide. A spinoff movie trilogy titled “The Hobbit” premiered in 2012. It had been based on the adventures of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins which preceded the events of “Lord of the Rings”. JB

RELATED STORIES:

‘Lord of the Rings’ TV series may rival ‘Game of Thrones’

LOOK: ‘The Simpsons’ predicted Disney purchase of 20th Century Fox

‘House of Cards’ season 6 production halted indefinitely