Monday, March 19, 2018

Amazon to Spend $500 Million on First Two Seasons of LOTR TV Series


Reuters and TrustedReviews are reporting the Amazon, which spent $250 million to purchase the rights to produce a Lord of the Rings television show, is now preparing to spend an additional quarter billion dollars on the first one or two seasons of the show. The total price tag of the series (which hasn't even begun production) is thus at $500 million, far more than was spent on the production of the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I for one am very excited to hear that Amazon is preparing to heavily invest in their LOTR property. It makes sense . . . the movies were insanely popular, and television series like Game of Thrones prove that there is a huge appetite for big-budget fantasy TV series. Of course, while more money generally means better specially effects, props, etc., we have yet to learn anything about who will be writing, directing, and acting in this film, so I'm still only cautiously optimistic about this whole LOTR venture. We're in uncharted territory here . . .

Later.

Monday, January 29, 2018

Lego Lord of the Rings Pinball


Vladimir van Hoek has created an amazing, working Lord of the Rings pinball machine out of everyone's favorite building toy, Legos. Jump past the break to see more images of this fantastic creations.

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Book Review: Smaug - Unleashing the Dragon by Daniel Falconer


There's no denying that Peter Jackson's Smaug from the Hobbit films is an impressive work of cinematic magic. I was floored the first time the great dragon emerges from Thror's treasure hoard like a huge shark emerging from the ocean depths. The whole scene where Bilbo faces off against this ultimate villain was one of the highlights of the trilogy. So naturally I was excited to learn more about the art, design, and technology that went into bringing Smaug to life. Smaug: Unleashing the Dragon seemed custom made to satisfy my dragon curiosity, but sadly, fell short. In fact, reading this book really just reminded me of a famous quote from the villain of another famous movie trilogy:
"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed."––Darth Vader, Star Wars: A New Hope
Jump past the break to get the full review.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

A Birthday Tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien


If you're a Middle-earth fan of even middling enthusiasm, you've probably noticed a blizzard of posts and tweets today, all celebrating John Ronald Reuel Tolkien's birthday. The Creator of Hobbits and the world they live in turns 126 today, or as Bilbo might have phrased it, "twelfty-six"*.

I couldn't help but think about the impact that Tolkien and his works have had on my life over the years. My first memories of Middle-earth come from a warm summer when I was eight years old and my friend down the street let me borrow his dad's battered copy of a strange little book called The Hobbit. I spent the next week hiding behind my bed so as to avoid doing my chores, devouring a story that opened a whole new world of Hobbits and dwarves and dragons and elves to me. And more than the strange creatures and unlikely heroes, Tolkien's original fantasy filled me with a hunger to explore new worlds, both real and imagined.

Much to my delight, I discovered after reading the Hobbit that there were more books about Hobbits. So when classes started that fall I rushed to my school library and checked out each novel in the Lord of the Rings trilogy in turn. The adventures in those books took me beyond anything I'd experienced in the Hobbit, both in terms of excitement and beauty.

After reading the Lord of the Rings, several years passed during which I faithfully read that trilogy and the hobbit over and over. But it wasn't until I turned fourteen that I discovered that there was another Tolkien book––the Silmarillion. I eagerly checked out the battered paper back copy featuring a scene from the Downfall of NĂºmenor by Darrell Sweet, and dove into it. To my surprise, it was nothing like the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings. In fact, it read almost like ancient scripture, like the Bible or something. And not only that, it took place in a completely different area from lands described in Tolkien's earlier books. However, after my initial shock, I found that the Silmarillion was just as wonderful as the Hobbit.

Since those early years, I have continued to return to Middle-earth whenever possible. The books have not only given me heroes to learn from, but have helped to shape my understanding of good and evil, and of hope and honor and love. And today as I reflected on all that Tolkien's work means to me, I couldn't help but think about how close I––and the world––came to never having receiving Tolkien's masterpiece.

As a young man, Tolkien enlisted in the British Army and served as an officer during World War I. He was sent to France in 1916, and participated in the infamous Battle of the Somme. When historians speak of the Battle of the Somme, they usually do so with superlatives. Friedrich Steinbrecher is quoted as saying: "Somme. The whole history of the world cannot contain a more ghastly word". David Frum, writing for the Atlantic, said, "A century later, "the Somme" remains the most harrowing place-name in the annals of . . . Great Britain." It is no exaggeration to call the battle a meat-grinder. Three million troops participated in the months-long destruction, and over a million men were killed or wounded. Tolkien himself lost many friends, including two members of the Tea Club and Barrovian Society, Geoffrey Smith and  Rob Gilson. Tolkien himself escaped the battle and a likely death. He was shipped back to England after coming down with trench fever. Shortly thereafter, the battalion he had served with was destroyed almost to a man.

Consider the odds for a moment. How close did Tolkien come to dying in that muddy, blood-soaked battlefield? How close did the world come to losing a genius, to losing his vision and his subsequent writings? How many generations almost lost the timeless examples of Frodo's endurance, or of Sam's faithfulness, or of Bilbo's plucky courage? Why, when hundreds of thousands of men died, did Tolkien live?

I can't provide an answer to those questions. I suppose no one can. I can only feel grateful. Indeed, pondering Tolkien's time in the war, I can think of no better explanation than Gandalf's words to Frodo, on a dark night in the quiet of the Shire:
"I can put it no plainer than by saying that Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, and not by its maker. In which case you also were meant to have it. And that may be an encouraging thought." ––Fellowship of the Ring, Chapter 2
As with Bilbo and Frodo and the Ring, I can't help but feel that the world was meant to have Tolkien's Middle-earth. And that is indeed an encouraging thought.

Happy Birthday Professor. And thank you.

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Ian McKellen Open to Reprising His Role As Gandalf. I Think That's a Good Idea.


Ian McKellen is the Gandalf. I don't think I'm going out too far on a limb saying that. He nails the performance in the Lord of the Rings films, and was one of the bright points in the Hobbit films when all other lights had gone out (see what I did there?). Both the Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog and The Wrap are reporting that last Saturday, Ian Mckellen appeared on the BBC Radio 2 Graham Norton show and confirmed that he would be open to playing the Gray Wizard in the new Amazon LOTR film series: “But are you suggesting that someone else is going to play it? Gandalf is over 7000 years old, so I’m not too old.”

I think that Amazon would be crazy to pass up having Ian McKellen reprising his role as Gandalf. His performance is absolutely iconic, and I can't imagine anyone else stepping into those particular shoes. However, hiring A-list actors definitely comes with a cost and while Amazon is reportedly giving this new TV series a record breaking budget, they may have to make some hard decisions about where they allocate their resources (actors, special effects, writers, etc.).

We'll keep you posted as more Gandalf-related news becomes available.

Later.

Update: Entertainment Weekly and Gizmodo are running this news as well.

Monday, December 11, 2017

Fox Searchlight Pictures producing Tolkien Film: "A Light in the Darkness"


Fox Searchlight Pictures is producing a new film portraying J.R.R Tolkien's life. The film is written by David Gleeson and directed by Dome Karukoski. Tolkien himself is played by Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road; X-men: Days of Future Past), and Tolkien's wife, Edith Bratt is played by Lily Collins (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones). The movie is listed as still being filmed on IMDB, and not much more information beyond that is available. The working title of the film is "A Light in the Darkness". We'll keep you posted as more information becomes available. With this film in the works and Amazon's new Lord of the Rings series in development, it is definitely an exciting time to be a Tolkien fan! Jump past the break to see four stills from the movie.

NewStatesman on the Amazon Lord of the Rings TV series


NewStatesman has an article by Rebecca Rideal about the new Amazon Lord of the Rings series. Rideal makes some excellent points about the risks and benefits of adapting Middle-earth material to a TV series format; however, I'm not sure she has a full grasp on the legal situation regarding the different Tolkien books . . . she suggests more than once that Amazon might mine the Silmarillion for material, even though it is not at all clear that the Tolkien Estate is prepared to release the film rights for that book.

Additionally, she trots out the "Lord of the Rings is racist" argument towards the end of the article, and suggests that Tolkien's world will need significant updating to bring it up to 21st century standards. To me this smacks of a lack of understanding regarding why Tolkien developed his Legendarium in the first place, but I'm too tired to open up that debate right now. I'll save it that for another post down the road.

Later.

Sunday, December 10, 2017

Breaking: A New Digital Lord of the Rings Card Game from Fantasy Flight Interactive!


Back in 2011 I discovered Fantasy Flight Games and the Lord of the Rings Living Card Game. I was immediately captivated––the game provided the geeky fun of a collectible card game like Magic: the Gathering or the old Decipher Star Wars CCG, but set in Middle-earth. For several years (2011 to 2016) I collected the game avidly, before eventually (and very reluctantly) selling my collection for a variety of reasons (mainly lack of time and a lack of people to play with). I've missed the game since then, so I was thrilled when Fantasy Flight Games announced today that they are developing a digital version of the game that will be available for PC and mobile devices. Jump past the break to read more.

Monday, December 4, 2017

Review: Weta Workshop Mini Epics Wave 1, Frodo and Gimli


Ever since Weta Workshop announced their new line of Mini Epics vinyl characters, I'd been eyeing them. So over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, when I saw that they were having a sale, I quickly ordered the Frodo and Gimli figures, which were the two characters from the first wave that I was most excited about. Jump past the break to see photos of the unboxing and get my reaction to this new line of collectibles.

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Screen Rant: HBO Passed Up the Chance to Create the New LOTR TV Series


Screen Rant just broke the news that HBO passed on the new Lord of the Rings TV series. The article explains that the entertainment company prefers to produce content for licenses that they own completely––so not surprisingly the complicated licensing and rights situation of Lord of the Rings (involving Warner Bros, New Line Cinema, the Tolkien Estate, and sometimes Middle-earth Enterprises) was not appealing to HBO. I've got to say I'm glad that HBO passed on Lord of the Rings. As well made as Game of Thrones is, I would hate to see Lord of the Rings tarnished with gratuitous violence and sex. Of course, there is still the possibility that Amazon will go that route . . . I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed, I suppose. Thanks to the Secret Fire Podcast for putting this info up on Twitter.

UPDATE: Here's an additional article by Den of Geek that basically covers the same news.

Later.