It's official: Amazon Studios has secured TV rights to Lord of the Rings and is moving ahead with a multi-season series.
The show will be set before the seminal JRR Tolkien tome, which was adapted for the big screen by Sir Peter Jackson, but will be comprised of "previously unexplored stories" rather than a new take on The Hobbit.
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"We are delighted that Amazon, with its long-standing commitment to literature, is the home of the first-ever multi-season television series for The Lord of the Rings," said Matt Galsor of the Tolkien Estate.
"Sharon [Tal Yguado, Head of Scripted Series] and the team at Amazon Studios have exceptional ideas to bring to the screen previously unexplored stories based on JRR Tolkien's original writings."
What Amazon paid in the deal is unknown, but The Telegraph reported the media company was in a bidding war with Netflix and could've ended up paying up to NZ$359 million.
The Lord of the Rings TV announcement comes as HBO prepares to conclude its monumental fantasy series Game of Thrones before developing multiple spin-off series.
Amazon's announcement notes that the deal with the Tolkien estate "includes a potential additional spin-off series".
There are currently no details on who will star in the show or when it will premiere, but the series will eventually stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Newshub.
