I'm still struggling with the idea that The Tolkien Estate was "shopping" this around. Even sans Christopher, the estate is (I would have thought) a fairly conservative group who surely broadly support the stance the estate has taken up until this time? It's currently still only the family plus lawyers: Baillie, Michael, Priscilla, and Simon Tolkien, plus Cathleen Blackburn and Steven Maier. And they'd obviously been talking before Christopher left in late August.

What's changed? I still don't see any obvious explanation for this turn of events.

BH

Khamûl wrote:
I'm still struggling with the idea that The Tolkien Estate was "shopping" this around. Even sans Christopher, the estate is (I would have thought) a fairly conservative group who surely broadly support the stance the estate has taken up until this time? It's currently still only the family plus lawyers: Baillie, Michael, Priscilla, and Simon Tolkien, plus Cathleen Blackburn and Steven Maier. And they'd obviously been talking before Christopher left in late August.

What's changed? I still don't see any obvious explanation for this turn of events.

BH

Probably money, plain and simple. The amount of money available for TV rights has increased hugely as TV has arguably gone from being the second class citizen to first class. The kinds of money we are talking about (in exchange for doing nothing whatsoever) would be very hard to ignore.

I have a question for you guys. Are you guys happy with the production of new TV series based on LOTR?

No.

No as well.

Big no.

I don't think many long term book fans will be keen on this news. It has the potential to be really damaging to the credibility of Tolkien's writings and I think the Estate have made a massive mistake. Granted they have made a shed load of money but with their reported happiness at this it seems this series will receive some collaboration or at least blessing and will by the masses be thought of as 'canon' in that light.

It is likely I will not watch this series.

I'm cautiously looking forward to it, for the following reasons:

- I am a voracious reader, but I also really do enjoy well done TV and movies
- I found much to enjoy with the Fellowship of the Ring adaptation from PJ, and it did not lessen my enjoyment of the books at all
- a different viewpoint will lessen the "canon" of the PJ movies
- and, given that everyone will find some or much to dislike about this edition, the same will happen with this one when the next licensee has a shot at it
- the estate deserves a chance to have a hand in creating something, after all these years of watching other people take a shot at it and being powerless

Overall, I would love to see a really well done video production based on Tolkien's work - something that feels appropriate, follows the text well while adapting to new media. Eventually, someone will get it right.

I seriously doubt the estate is going to "create" anything here. Who on the estate would now do that with any authority now that Christopher has gone? The only influence they're likely to exercise is whatever vetoes are in the agreement they've signed i.e. the series can't cover [insert Middle-earth no-no here].

BH

If that's all the estate wanted in this agreement, then more power to them. I would imagine they will have negotiated for executive producer rights or something similar, but we won't know until the show comes out. In any event, they have (or had and sold) creative input now that they have never had before.