The fantasy epic is coming to the small screen
After Amazon Studios purchased the rights to The Lord Of The Rings for a wallet-busting $250 million, it’s fair to assume that they’ll be looking to get as much bang for their buck as possible.
To put this figure into perspective, the budget is estimated to be around $150 million per season, and Amazon have signed on for a multi-season contract, as well as the rights to a potential spin-off series.
In comparison, the final six episodes in Season 8 of Game of Thrones are expected to cost around $15 million apiece to produce.
We’re not saying money equals quality, but those are some huge numbers!
On that note, Amazon’s version of The Lord of the Rings has the tricky task of being its own property (Peter Jackson’s trilogy was superb) while also attracting the casual fan that might not be too familiar with the entire history, complexity and scope of Middle Earth.
Well, according to reputable LOTR fan site The One Ring, it appears that the new TV show will begin by focusing on the younger years of Aragorn.
Of course, the role was famously played by Viggo Mortensen in Peter Jackson’s trilogy but this narrative approach does make sense. Not only does it give casual viewers a familiar ‘in’ to the show, but it also opens the new LOTR show to break new ground.
In the film, we were first introduced to Strider/Aragorn at The Prancing Pony as he met the Hobbits and it’s only at Rivendell where we learn about his true importance to the overall story – he’s the heir of Isildur and rightful claimant to the thrones of Arnor and Gondor.
As of yet, there has been no official announcement from Amazon regarding the plot – it’s currently in pre-production – but this does seem like a very logical approach for the show to take because it balances what came before with the idea of establishing new timelines and stories.
As for the character of Aragorn, there’s so much backstory that’s yet to be explored including his time living in Rivendell with Elrond, becoming a leader within the Rangers of the North, his first encounter with Gandalf, his time serving in the armies of King Thengel of Rohan (King Théoden’s father) and of Steward Ecthelion II of Gondor (father of Denethor).
In his famous words “let’s go hunt some orc.”
