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Amazon announce new Tolkien television series

Amazon have today announced that they will be creating a new television series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

Following rumours earlier this month, Amazon have today confirmed an agreement on a deal with the Tolkien Estate and the Tolkien Trust, HarperCollins and New Line Cinema. The series will be set before The Lord of the Rings, will span several series and include the potential for a spin-off series.

Shaun Gunner, Chair of the Tolkien Society, said:

This is incredibly exciting for many fans of both the books and the films. Although we don’t currently know the exact nature of the series, the strength of J.R.R. Tolkien as an author made it inevitable that another studio would one day want to bring Middle-earth to life once again. That day has now come. There will be undoubtedly be some apprehension within the Tolkien community about how faithful this will be to the books, however, there is also a lot of excitement about the possibility of exploring the epic saga that is The Silmarillion, or even a series focussed on Aragorn’s background. Christmas has come early for many of us today. – Shaun Gunner, Chair of The Tolkien Society

Sharon Tal Yguado, Head of Scripted Series at 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. [sic]

About the Society

The Tolkien Society is a charity founded in 1969 to promote the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien. With thousands of members of worldwide, the Society’s president is J.R.R. Tolkien and the vice-president is his daughter Priscilla. To contact the Society for a statement, please see our Press page.

About the Author: Shaun Gunner
Shaun is the Chair of The Tolkien Society. First elected in 2013, Shaun has overseen the Society's expansion from 600 to 3,500 members. Shaun regularly speaks about adaptations of Tolkien's works and the future of Tolkien scholarship whilst passionately believing the Society needs to reach out to new audiences. In his spare time he can be found playing video games and Lego, or on Twitter. He chaired another charity, Mankind, and is a local councillor.