Move over Game of Thrones, there’s a new high fantasy show about to take over the airwaves. Last year, Amazon Prime shelled out the big bucks to secure the television rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s universally beloved adventure, Lord of the Rings. Now, the highly anticipated series is officially in development and it’s already shaping up to be one of the most ambitious projects to ever hit the small screen.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new drama will cost Amazon upwards of $1 billion due to casting, production budget, and visual effects. Earlier this year, the corporate giant bought the LOTR license for roughly $250 million, making the entire project one of the priciest media properties of all time. Needless to say. Amazon is fully committed to the massive endeavour and has already confirmed the show will shoot five full seasons.
Speaking to The Reporter last week, attorney Matt Galsor, who greenlit the series deal with the Tolkien estate, expressed confidence regarding the Prime show. “This is the most complicated deal I’ve ever seen but it was handled relatively quickly, in a way that brought the parties together in a close relationship. It was tough, but everybody liked each other and felt like a team more as the deal closed.”
As of now, not much else is known about this version of The Lord of the Rings, but given the massive price tag on the whole thing, we can likely expect something big, bold, and full of orcs. It’s also worth noting that Peter Jackson’s cinematic offering truly did raise the bar, so Amazon has their work cut out for them. Due to the runaway success of recent Prime shows like The Man in the High Castle, Mozart in the Jungle, and Transparent, we think Frodo and the gang will be in good hands.
