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Author Topic: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth  (Read 2087 times)

Offline Ethelred the Almost Ready

  • Mastermind
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Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« on: November 05, 2017, 01:11:31 AM »
This might be old news to some of you, but I just came across this today.

http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/lord-of-the-rings-tv-series-in-the-works-w511077

A Game of Thrones Treatment for the Lord of the Rings?  That could be interesting.  Randy Hobbits bonking.  Incest (I suppose Aragorn and Arwen are distantly related).  Sam Gamgee is no longer happy at being Frodo's side-kick and murders Frodo out of jealousy.  Smaug is not dead and will be harnessed by Galadiel to take on the flying Nazgul.  Tom Bombadil will become Tom Bombadildo.


It seems that some characters will not be included in the licence for the series.  Perhaps the series will only have a Middle Earth setting?  Will they go to the other books for inspiration (the tale of Turin has incest, treachery and murder so might be a good fit)? 

https://screenrant.com/lord-of-the-rings-tv-better-than-movies/

Other pressing concerns will be:
Are orcs green?
Will elves have pointy ears?
Will we finally see Entwives and will they have unfeasibly large breasts?








Offline nic-e

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 2073
    • Mystarikum
Re: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2017, 02:57:26 AM »
please no...
My enthusiasm for star wars has already been killed by over exposure, The hobbit pushed me to the edge, Please world don't do it again.
never trust a horse, they make a commitment to shoes that no animal should make.

http://mystarikum.blogspot.co.uk/

Offline beefcake

  • Galactic Brain
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Re: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« Reply #2 on: November 05, 2017, 03:07:12 AM »
I have to say I think you will be right Ethelred. It will most likely be GoTified. I really hope they don't go the way of the the Shanara chronicles which was an absolute bag of warm brown.


Offline Nord

  • Mad Scientist
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    • Nord's Painting Saga
Re: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« Reply #3 on: November 05, 2017, 08:54:17 AM »
You could always, you know, not watch it.

Offline Gibby

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Re: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« Reply #4 on: November 05, 2017, 08:57:24 AM »
I can see it now... the Council of Elrond will take place in an Elven strip club with Elrond nailing some chick the whole time he's talking.

GoT-approach to Middle Earth... may as well take a Mad Max approach to Thomas the Tank Engine.  ::)

Offline Coenus Scaldingus

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Re: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« Reply #5 on: November 05, 2017, 12:02:50 PM »
From what I've read, there are some hypotheses that it is likely to concern a non-LotR/Hobbit series, as talks are between various parties and Tolkien Estate rather than Middle-earth Enterprises. The latter has the movie rights to the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, while the former has, well, the rest - and has so far been far from keen to license any of it. (That said, it could be something on the edge of the LotR - i.e. appendices stuff - or quite possibly a license for a televised series is different from something concerning movies?) The 'Lord of the Rings' branding is not unlikely chosen because either most readers or indeed the journalist are more familiar with it rather than Middle-earth as a whole.


If it were to concern anything resembling a remake, I completely fail to see the point. PJ's trilogy wasn't perfect, but I doubt any Hollywood reboot will improve on it. An even longer runtime (Extended Editions of the 3 are some eleven hours already of course) may allow the addition of things like the Barrow-downs, the Grey Company and the Scouring of the Shire, but all the stuff in between has been done rather well overall. Reboots are of course all the rage, but imagining to improve a highly acclaimed series of just 15 years ago?

As for other options, well, the Silmarillion obviously has plenty of stories, some of which have since been expanded to surely be worthy of being on the small or large screen (Children of Húrin and Beren and Luthien). I do not know how well they would translate to a longer ongoing series however (if that is the plan) - both of the very complete longer stories could be a series on their own, but with a clear start and end. The Sil as a whole, on the other hand, is in some ways more that collection of stories with various returning characters rather than a focussed narrative, although following the actual story of the Silmarils could I suppose make for a compelling story spanning quite a few hours.
~Ad finem temporum~

Offline FionaWhite

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  • Posts: 590
  • The Fox Fantastic
Re: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« Reply #6 on: November 05, 2017, 12:59:10 PM »
I can see it now... the Council of Elrond will take place in an Elven strip club with Elrond nailing some chick the whole time he's talking.

Hey, as long as it's Hugo Weaving...


I'm semi-curious to see what actually comes out of this though whatever it's going to be I doubt it's going to beat the speculated version that's already been conjured up in this thread.  lol

I really have no idea what I'm doing.

Offline LeadAsbestos

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 3041
    • When the Hurlyburly's Done...
Re: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« Reply #7 on: November 05, 2017, 01:01:37 PM »
There are many, many options for stories of Middle Earth to tell. Personally, I'd prefer an original 'inspired by' series with original characters and storyline set in ME, but the long winter when wolves invaded the Shire, or Sharkey's quiet takeover, the fall of Moria, the insidious invasion of Mirkwood...
So much! I think there would be no need to add sex or gore. I'm optimistic.

Offline Gibby

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  • Posts: 2352
Re: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« Reply #8 on: November 05, 2017, 01:42:51 PM »
There are many, many options for stories of Middle Earth to tell. Personally, I'd prefer an original 'inspired by' series with original characters and storyline set in ME, but the long winter when wolves invaded the Shire, or Sharkey's quiet takeover, the fall of Moria, the insidious invasion of Mirkwood...
So much! I think there would be no need to add sex or gore. I'm optimistic.

Fall of Moria, that would be brilliant!

Offline AWu

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1348
    • War is the H-word
Re: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« Reply #9 on: November 05, 2017, 03:02:27 PM »
To be hones, I dont care for LOTR that much

a Mad Max approach to Thomas the Tank Engine.  ::)

But this.. I need it!!
Thomas The Armored tank Engine meets Transarctica!

Offline Hobgoblin

  • Galactic Brain
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    • Hobgoblinry
Re: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« Reply #10 on: November 05, 2017, 03:04:38 PM »
From my reading of this, it's going to be a straightforward adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, not a spin-off or any other story. I think that could be great - with the story given enough time to breathe and room for the barrow wights and the rest.

As an example, one disappointment with the Jackson films for me was the way they rushed through episodes like 'The Uruk-hai' and 'The Tower of Cirith Ungol'. Those could be terrific scenes if done properly.

If anyone remembers the BBC radio adaptation of LotR, that pointed the way to how a drawn-out series could work well in giving the book the space it needs - and in making Middle Earth seem really big.

Offline tyrionhalfman

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Re: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« Reply #11 on: November 05, 2017, 05:29:50 PM »
I think a story starting with the creation of Numenor and ending with the war of the Last Alliance would be great. It could focus on the Numenoreans but also show the kingdoms of the dwarves and elves :)

Offline Severian

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 440
Re: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« Reply #12 on: November 06, 2017, 06:07:21 PM »
Well, I agree it could be well done... and I do remember the old BBC radio version very fondly (though even that left out Tom Bombadil, IIRC). But I must admit to a high degree of scepticism. Though if the Estate is closely involved, it might have to be pretty book-faithful. Then again, I don't really watch television, so what do I care...

Offline Hobgoblin

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    • Hobgoblinry
Re: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« Reply #13 on: November 06, 2017, 07:55:15 PM »
Well, I agree it could be well done... and I do remember the old BBC radio version very fondly (though even that left out Tom Bombadil, IIRC). But I must admit to a high degree of scepticism. Though if the Estate is closely involved, it might have to be pretty book-faithful.

One thing that makes me mildly optimistic about this is that a TV series presumably won't try to outdo the achievements - or excesses - of the Jackson films. Rather than retread the same ground, the creators might well want to do different things. And that might point to lots of good stuff: the Old Forest and the barrow-wights (each ideal for a spooky episode, one would think); the half-orc in Bree; the Saruman sub-plot in its greater complexity; less CGI and more half-glimpsed horror in Moria; character-driven stuff with the Isengarders and Grishnakh; ditto in Isengard and Cirith Ungol; Theoden transformed through acting rather than effects and a haircut; and lots of detail rather than big effects for everything.

But who knows what will transpire?

Quote
Then again, I don't really watch television, so what do I care...

Nor me - but I would watch this!

Offline Cubs

  • Galactic Brain
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  • "I simply cannot survive without beauty ..."
Re: Televisiomogrification of Middle Earth
« Reply #14 on: November 06, 2017, 08:09:06 PM »
I think that could be great - with the story given enough time to breathe and room for the barrow wights and the rest.


Yup. I hope this gets off the ground and is done properly, because I have been banging on about just this thing for ages now. Keep egotistical writers who want to 'make it their own' away from it and just tell Tolkein's story as faithfully as the medium allows. I trust Amazon/Netflix/HBO a lot more than the BBC to get it done right!

Yes, the Old Forest and Tom Bombadil bit of nonsense has a very different feel to the rest of the story, but that's fine with me. A long running TV series doesn't want to build up too quickly, the way a film has to. The mini-adventure the hobbits have before reaching Bree roots the early story well and truly as an adventure for hobbits, not an adventure where they play supporting roles. It is their story above all and the 'humanising' aspect (ironically since they're not human) that makes it accessible to us ordinary folk. 

There are so many aspects that had to be left out of the LOTR films because they wouldn't have worked on the big screen, squeezed into the allowable time and the pace of the trilogy. But a more leisurely approach with a TV series would be much more forgiving.

I used to think that such films could only be made in animation, given the scope and the different beasties, but CGI techniques have advanced so far, even from 10-15 years ago, I don't see it as an issue now.
'Sir John ejaculated explosively, sitting up in his chair.' ... 'The Black Gang'.

Paul Cubbin Miniature Painter

 

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