Lord of the Rings series!?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I certainly can't vouch for the truth of this, but ...

https://twitter.com/hashtag/LOTRonPrime ... htag_click

[Alatar]

I loved Bear McCreary's work on Battlestar Galactica. Will be interesting to see how he collaborates with Shore!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I wonder whether it will mostly be his work, with Shore mostly providing some ideas and the name and connection to the successful films.

[Alatar]

TORN are claiming this is confirmed as being Finrod.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

That actually comes from the "Fellowship of the Fans" and it absolutely is not "confirmed". If someone refuses to say who the source is, then it is not confirmed, and he refuses to say, other than that it is "someone close to the production."

And to be more accurate, what they are actually claiming is that it is a "Galadriel's brother" not that it is Finrod, though the speculation is that the brother of Galadriel that it would most likely be would be Finrod.

[Alatar]

I know all that. Which is why I said "are claiming".

[Dave_LF]

VERY good news. I'm having trouble feeling enthusiastic about the series itself, but I'll definitely listen to the soundtrack.

Woohoo! Good news!

http://dlvr.it/S7sQ3C?fbclid=IwAR26k819 ... PZTGdJ7JlU

Oscar-Winning ‘The Lord Of The Rings’ Howard Shore In Talks To Compose Music For Amazon Studios’ Middle Earth-Set TV Series

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Sir Lenny Henry On Being A Black Hobbit In The Lord Of The Rings

[Frelga]

I don't know how good the show will be, but the meltdown in certain quarters is going to be hilarious.

[elengil]

I don't know how good the show will be, but the meltdown in certain quarters is going to be hilarious.

Already started.

[elengil]

Black hobbits, female heroes and other races in Amazon’s new ‘Lord of the Rings’ series draw mixed reactions
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Apparently female heroes are their very own race?

Like... what, Amazons? I mean... given the producer...

[Anduril]

As I feared/suspected, they're doing what is easy instead of what is right. There are ways to focus on or feature "non-white" characters while staying consistent with the lore which has many options, like leaning into the Blue Wizards' activities since they possibly came as early as the Second Age. And there's just changing stuff willy-nilly which doesn't "improve" anything and just makes their parent movies look "worse", because where are all the non-"rural English" hobbits by the time of the trilogy? Careless.

If they push back the awakening of Men far enough, akin to alternate lore than what's in the published Silmarillion, there's even a way to extrapolate "black" hobbits or rather their distant ancestors, forefathers of forefathers (of forefathers, etc). As far as I can tell, hobbits would have evolved from other Men since they're called an "offshoot" of Men not just a different kind, nor a separate race like Elves and Dwarves. But it would have been long long ago in the deeps of time before the start of the First Age, in order for enough time to pass from a scientific point of view. This is the Second Age already.

[elengil]

I have never in my life seen a well written, well acted story that was somehow ruined by the color of the actor's skin.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I think the issue isn't with the "black" part but rather the "hobbits" part. Having a hobbit as a major character in a show set in the second age just doesn't make sense, whether they are black, white, purple or polka-dotted.

[elengil]

The show needs to find broad appeal in the general audience, not just the well-read Tolkien lore audience. And the general audiences very much associates Tolkien with Hobbits and Elves - and since they have spent a great deal of money on this show they do not want to disappoint a good portion of their general audience with a notable lack of one of the two expected groups.

How they manage to incorporate Hobbits into a show set in the Second Age remains to be seen. I'll reserve judgement until it comes out.

[Alatar]

I'll reserve judgement until it comes out.

Madness! Madness I tells ya!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

The show needs to find broad appeal in the general audience, not just the well-read Tolkien lore audience. And the general audiences very much associates Tolkien with Hobbits and Elves - and since they have spent a great deal of money on this show they do not want to disappoint a good portion of their general audience with a notable lack of one of the two expected groups.

How they manage to incorporate Hobbits into a show set in the Second Age remains to be seen. I'll reserve judgement until it comes out.

I agree with all of that, and I think it is well said. I too will reserve judgment until it comes out.

That having been said, if they wanted to include hobbits as part of the tale they are telling but also include battles and high level politics and intrigue, etc., they very easily could have set the show in the early part of the Third Age and tell the story of the rise and fall of the Númenórean kingdoms in exile, which very much intersect with the early history of the Halflings, leading to the founding of the Shire. By instead setting the show in the Second Age they will need to jury-rig Hobbits into the narrative in order to include them, which is likely to turn off the well-read Tolkien lore audience, the very group that setting the show in the Second Age seems most designed to please.

So while I agree that it makes sense to reserve judgment until it comes out, I can't stop my brain from working, and my brain tells me that jury-rigging Hobbits into a Second Age narrative is a mistake.

[elengil]

, if they wanted to include hobbits as part of the tale they are telling but also include battles and high level politics and intrigue, etc., they very easily could have set the show in the early part of the Third Age

They may not have been given that option by the estate. I have no idea what the extent of their restrictions or dictations may be involved in what the production decided to do.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Anything in the LOTR appendices (which is the only place that material exists) was already part of the existing rights that had been sold, so the Estate would not have had much to say about it.

[Alatar]

As a fan I'd have to say early Third Age is the least interesting period to tell a story in though.