After much speculation and plenty of rumours, Amazon have confirmed that they are making a TV adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings'.
Amazon Studios have announced that a multi-season agreement had been reached between Tolkien's estate and New Line Cinema, and that the TV version would see the author's vision 'reimagined' in a Middle Earth that differs to Peter Jackson's lauded movie trilogy.
The rights to the series were reportedly bought for a whopping $200 million - and that's without factoring in the production budget, which is expected to reach $150 per season.
A rep for Amazon Studios said: "The Lord of the Rings is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen. We are honored to be working with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking The Lord of the Rings fans on a new epic journey in Middle Earth."
It's not clear yet how the series will be structured, or whether it will follow the same trilogy-style structure as the books and Jackson's interpretation of them.
The reaction to the news on social media has been mixed, to say the least...
IT HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE
IT WAS DONE SO WELL IT WON A FUCKING ACADEMY AWARD
THERE ARE A MILLION NEW AND ORIGINAL IDEAS OUT THERE
MAKE ONE OF THOSE
YOU
LAZY
FUCKShttps://t.co/bj0Uizr9XZ— Jay Kristoff (@misterkristoff) November 14, 2017
6 Tolkien films, announce one Lord of the Rings TV series: "Urgh, they're milking it."
12 Star Wars films, 7 TV series, 50+ video games, 100s of books: "We need more!"
— Shaun Gunner (@ShaunGunner) November 13, 2017
Lord of The Rings TV Series?
Oh yes please.— Abi (@tuazonabi) November 14, 2017
Urgh so the Lord of the Rings TV show *is* happening in the end? Producers do know other fantasy novels are available, right?
— Words From Darran (@ShinraAlpha) November 14, 2017
If the Lord of the Rings TV show doesn’t have a clear Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda, we’re not watching.
— Super Deluxe (@superdeluxe) November 13, 2017
Not everything has to be a movie or a tv show. Tolkien's books are right there. If you are interested in the story before lord of the rings or even before the hobbit just pick up a book and read. It's all out there, all his stories are waiting to be read.
— Lindsey (@hobbitlindsey) November 13, 2017
An open letter to @AmazonStudios and @JeffBezos:
DON’T MAKE A LORD OF THE RINGS TV SHOW. Please. PLEASE. pic.twitter.com/n6zf2W7Jdp— Seth Segal (@papa_sharku) November 4, 2017