Filming is currently underway on the first two episodes of (the as-yet-untitled) Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show. I, therefore, thought it a good time to talk about what I want to see from this show when it hits. This is a bit of a harder story to come at, which I’ll explain in a moment, therefore this week’s column I have written as a list of do’s and don’ts.
The Lord of the Rings show is going to have a several month-long hiatus after those first two episodes are filmed. The hiatus is designed to allow the showrunners and writing teams to craft Season 2. When the production resumes, the plan is for Amazon to film the rest of Season 1 and all of Season 2 concurrently. So let’s get into the weeds a little on this show before we get onto my list of dos and don’ts.
Why we know nothing much about the Story
I doubt this show will be called The Lord of the Rings, which is, of course, the name of the specific story Tolkien wrote and was later adapted by Peter Jackson. Saying that, Amazon will want to make sure fans associate their show with those movies as much as possible. I am intrigued to see what this will be titled as a result.
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A big part of what the show will be called, might have to do with what story they are actually telling here? All we fans know right now is that the show will cover events of the Second Age of Tolkien’s mythology. The thing is the Second Age lasted for thousands of years and the world at the beginning of this Age is very different from the end.
Where will they go?
Which parts will the Show cover? That’s the thing, we simply don’t know, and it, therefore, makes it really difficult to pinpoint anything about what we are going to be seeing on this new show. Will Amazon start at the beginning, giving them room to tell stories throughout that Second Age, maybe with time skips between seasons? Or, will Amazon choose the more fertile territory of the latter stages of this Age? I’m afraid that might remain unknown for quite some time yet?
If you want to know more about what kind of content is covered in the Second Age of Tolkien’s universe, I suggest reading The ‘Alkallabeth’ section of The Silmarillion. However, if that is too much work, then I did write up a primer for the timeline a while back. I have handily linked that to Here! Check it out if you need some background.
Dos
Sauron
I want to see a lot of Sauron, eventually at least. The most interesting character that Amazon has the ability to explore in more detail here is Sauron himself. The villain is a pervasive but remote threat for most of the Third Age that fans are used to. But, in the Second Age, Sauron is at the height of his power. Sauron has not been disfigured yet, and he has possession of the One Ring. The only thing stopping Sauron from world domination, is how powerful the nation of Numenor has become. I hope Sauron is played by a real actor, not a CGI monster for this period.
Characters
Sauron aside, we should be focussed on what are essentially brand new characters. Only the biggest players of the Age got a mention by Tolkien. Amazon would have a lot of room to craft an interesting story that revolves around these big events, but focus on new characters who can have interesting arcs. This show has snapped up some actors I like, let’s see what they can do and focus on the characters more than the lore, for a while anyway. Yes, I know that image is from Game of Thrones. However, the actor Robert Aramayo, is playing one of the lead roles in Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show.
The First Age
This one is going in the dos and don’ts section. The backstory of Tolkien’s mythology should be presented through the show. Allow the audience to find out about events from the First Age as character would naturally within the show. However, Amazon does not have the rights to tell stories from that First Age as far as anyone knows. I would guess Amazon can reference the history verbally within the context of this story, however. Everything that happened in the First Age is what drives the conflict along within the Second Age, and passes through into the Third Age also.
Elves and Men
I’d like to see them tell this story from both the Men and Elven races’ viewpoints. Men and Elves are heavily involved, but with very different perspectives on the events of this Age. Whilst the First Age was definitely more focussed on Elves, and the Third Age mostly focussed on men; this Second Age is around 50/50 and that should be respected in the writing for me.
Don’ts
The First Age
I’ve heard a few fans say they hope the show begins with a big montage like recap of the First Age. The Fellowship of the Ring, first movie of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, begins with a recap montage of the Second Age. I do not want to see this. The technique of a prologue is so essential to convey information quickly during a movie. This is a TV show, the showrunners have far more time to convey ideas naturally amongst their characters. As said above, I’m also pretty sure that Amazon will not be allowed to show these First Age events at this time. No prologue please Amazon
No Hobbits
If you are only a fan of the movies, you may think I’m being silly saying no Hobbits? You’d be wrong, I’m afraid. The reason Hobbits are so mysterious and can have such a pivotal effect on the Third Age is because no one had accounted them in any plans. Sauron barely knows they exist, as do many Elves and Men of the Age. Hobbits are a secretive and secluded people and this was also long before The Shire existed. Hobbits do not come into any of Tolkien’s mythology until the Third Age, when of course, they become really important. They existed, they had villages, and characters could well come across them in an episode. Hobbits should not however, be a main focus, and should barely be mentioned at all. By the time of the Third Age, Hobbits are just silly legends to many of the peoples of Middle-earth.
Epic Battles
Listen, if you are a fan of fantasy, or a fan of Tolkien specifically, then you want to see some huge battles. However, for me, the scenario here which would work best is the approach to action taken by Game of Thrones. Yes, we want some epic battles, but this is not a movie. With Amazon’s Lord of the Rings, we cannot expect movie-level budgets, even though this will still be massive for TV. The showrunners and the studio then have to use their budget wisely. Lord of the Rings on TV will be a serialized long-form drama. This kind of show requires more time spent on character conflict as opposed to armed conflict.
I am sure fans want the show to be exciting, I’m just saying I don’t want to see them trying to force constant action down our throats because I don’t see it working long term. I want this Lord of the Rings show to be popular to more than just the Tolkien fans out there. Amazon, however, has to understand that they are in this for the long haul.
No Wizards
Yes, this one probably sucks a bit, sorry. However, the Wizards, (or Istari to give their correct name) do not even arrive in Middle-earth until the Third Age. The Wizards are sent to Middle-earth to prevent Sauron from rising up to dominate once more. Therefore, there should be no Wizards in Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show. There is one way Amazon could attempt to bring in Wizards, and that’s through Tolkien himself. Towards the end of Tolkien’s life, he suddenly decided to change his mythology a little regarding Wizards. Tolkien was amending and reworking his universe right up to his latter days. The change he made was that the Blue Wizards (never seen on film, or mentioned much in the books) actually journeyed to Middle-earth during the Second Age.
However, Christopher Tolkien, who sadly passed away recently decided to use his Father’s older writings on this. When he gathered his Father’s notes to posthumously publish his mythology in The Silmarillion, he chose to pick the versions which matched together best. I suppose, therefore, one could argue about which of these scenarios the true canon is? For my own choice, I would prefer Amazon to stick to the more established canon on this one. No Wizards!
Wrap it up, Fanboy!
I don’t want this to be massive list, partly because we still know so little. Part of my reasoning is wanting the writers to have the freedom to craft the story in their own way. Adapting Tolkien’s mythology is akin to adapting a story from history. The key components of the story must be there, but there is no dialogue or character/historical figure conflict written in much of our own history. The Silmarillion, especially the Second Age is written like a history textbook, not a story.
Fans of Tolkien, like I am, already know that Amazon has one clear instruction from the Tolkien Estate. They can craft their own stories from this period, make up characters, and scenarios as they wish. However, they also have to make sure they do not disturb the canon of Tolkien’s work. Therefore, the main events of this Age have to be maintained.
I am personally always going to view Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show as fan fiction, because it will go well beyond what Tolkien envisioned. I do, however, want that fan fiction to be as connected to the actual Tolkien canon as it possibly can be. So far, that’s the best proviso the Tolkien Estate has made for me with Amazon. I do not want to see another Shadow of Mordor type situation. The video game based (loosely) on Tolkien’s work goes so far beyond the canon, that as a Tolkien fan, I can’t enjoy it.
What do you want to see from Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show? What period would you like them to tackle, do you agree with list of dos and don’ts? You cannot pass! Until you leave us some comments below.
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