So, if you have 250 mill, you can buy the TV rights to Lord of the Rings...[SOLD

Started by JasonPratt, November 08, 2017, 08:32:40 AM

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JasonPratt

...although of course you'd still have to produce and market and distribute the thing. So, 450 million for the first season basically.

Still, Warner Brothers (who has been printing money with the Shadow of Moredough series recently) has reached an agreement with the Tolkien estate to shop the TV rights around to various studios. Amazon's president is angling to be the frontrunner so far in securing the rights to do a series. (HBO has already passed, declaring the series to be too expensive.)

What the series would cover is totally in the air. With that amount of necessary investment, you'd have to bet the series would cover ground that a lot of general population would want to see -- which has been done already, and I gather the Silmarillion material isn't on the table, which would make by far the most sense for a GameofThronesish spin off series. In fact, the rights to key characters from LotR aren't necessarily included, and would have to be negotiated separately!  :o What would that even leave over?? I mean that audiences might want to see, and important enough to spend that kind of money up front. The War in the North seems like literally a losing proposition, and it's the only tangential item related to the LotR material itself that has a full story of some sort to work from and which hasn't been fully covered yet (except in some not overly popular games regardless of their quality points otherwise.)

I'd say unless the Silmarillion rights are included, a studio ought to consider passing.

The guys here at the Hybrid Network, where I heard the news this morning, are generally in favor of a LotR reboot series in principle, though.

ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

JasonPratt

ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

Nefaro

I would also think the grand mythical stories from the Silmarillion would be the most logical part of the writing left to put on the screen.

I'd actually quite enjoy it, if they could pull off all those little notable storied bits from Middle Earth's distant past.  Would require some good writing, though, because there isn't really much dialogue to pull from the book.

Either way, if they do Silmarillion, or something loosely based on one of the stories or world in general, there would need to be a lot of original screenwriting done.  After paying for the rights, I'd be concerned it would get so expensive that the huge expense of this and the rest, such as setting, cast, and CGI, might get short-changed. 

It's not worth just redoing the LOTR books, and especially not The Hobbit.  We've had plenty of time to gorge on those, as needed, in recent years.  Something new is required in film.

JasonPratt

Alas, I've seen more confirmation that only the LotR scenario is up for sale.  The characters of LotR will have to be paid for as add-ons.  L:-) :uglystupid2: :pullhair: #:-)

So basically it'll be like the LotR JRPG-ish turnbased console game from several years ago, where you can play a party of characters just like the Fellowship except different characters, as you follow right behind the real story dealing with their situations' after-effects.

And we all remember how well that game worked as a story, right?
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

MikeGER

Quote from: Nefaro on November 08, 2017, 09:25:22 AM
  Something new is required in film.

as long as we don't end up with Aliens vs Hobbits  or Sauron vs Batman #:-)

Nefaro

Quote from: MikeGER on November 08, 2017, 10:09:59 AM
Quote from: Nefaro on November 08, 2017, 09:25:22 AM
  Something new is required in film.

as long as we don't end up with Aliens vs Hobbits  or Sauron vs Batman #:-)

Middle Earth Zompocalypse!

or

Middle Earth Vikings!

?

;D


JasonPratt

Quote from: MikeGER on November 08, 2017, 10:09:59 AM
Quote from: Nefaro on November 08, 2017, 09:25:22 AM
  Something new is required in film.

as long as we don't end up with Aliens vs Hobbits  or Sauron vs Batman #:-)

Fortunately, Fox owns the Alien ip. Although I would watch that and/or play that game.

Warner Bros. has already made two rather gritty and well-received Sauron vs Ghost-Ranger-Batman games, so I am legitimately not counting that option out! -- the whole thing might well have started with WB wanting to turn Shadow of Mordor into a live action property.  :o  :hide:

ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

JasonPratt

Another option might be to adapt the LOTRO game's story of epic fetch-questing.  :2funny:
ICEBREAKER THESIS CHRONOLOGY! -- Victor Suvorov's Stalin Grand Strategy theory, in lots and lots of chronological order...
Dawn of Armageddon -- narrative AAR for Dawn of War: Soulstorm: Ultimate Apocalypse
Survive Harder! -- Two season narrative AAR, an Amazon Blood Bowl career.
PanzOrc Corpz Generals -- Fantasy Wars narrative AAR, half a combined campaign.
Khazâd du-bekâr! -- narrative dwarf AAR for LotR BfME2 RotWK campaign.
RobO Q Campaign Generator -- archived classic CMBB/CMAK tool!

Sir Slash

"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.

GDS_Starfury

Toonces - Don't ask me, I just close my eyes and take it.

Gus - I use sweatpants with flannel shorts to soak up my crotch sweat.

Banzai Cat - There is no "partial credit" in grammar. Like anal sex. It's either in, or it's not.

Mirth - We learned long ago that they key isn't to outrun Star, it's to outrun Gus.

Martok - I don't know if it's possible to have an "anti-boner"...but I now have one.

Gus - Celery is vile and has no reason to exist. Like underwear on Star.


mirth

"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

Destraex

Seriously. LOTR movies are up there with Star Wars for me. Why remake it as a TV series. I bet it will go all star trek discovery and be like game of thrones.
"They only asked the Light Brigade to do it once"

MetalDog

Quote from: Destraex on November 09, 2017, 03:51:23 AM
Seriously. LOTR movies are up there with Star Wars for me. Why remake it as a TV series. I bet it will go all star trek discovery and be like game of thrones.


Because then we might get an accurate depiction of what was written rather than Hollywood invention to make the films "better."
And the One Song to Rule Them All is Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones


"If its a Balrog, I don't think you get an option to not consent......." - bob

Sir Slash

"Take a look at that". Sgt. Wilkerson-- CMBN. His last words after spotting a German tank on the other side of a hedgerow.