JRR Tolkien Discussion

[The Dark Knight]

If they get Viggo and Ian on board then I'll be ready to roll. Surely they have to be, given it's the same filmic universe. Their current age is a factor but I suppose they can work around it. The loyalty the cast have to Jackson could see them come back again, even if someone like Viggo isn't completely keen about it. The timeline allows his inclusion, unlike The Hobbit films which he himself pointed out. In any case, this interests me a whole lot more than TROP, which I can't bring myself to even glimpse at.

[Silver Nemesis]

It so happens I'm currently re-reading The Lord of the Rings novels, and I'm hoping to catch the theatrical rereleases of Jackson's trilogy next month. But I remain cynical about any further screen adaptations of Tolkien's work. All my fears about The Rings of Power turned out to be well founded, and while I don't think the Warner Bros films will be as bad as TROP I'm still sceptical they'll be any good.

Tolkien's writing just isn't compatible with the modern entertainment industry. He wrote what many consider to be the greatest fantasy saga in modern literature, and studio execs are kicking themselves that they don't have the rights to adapt more of his books. So now they're creating fan fiction out of the appendices, just like Disney is doing with Star Wars. It's been reported that this Gollum film is the first in a series of movies. What should we expect next? Arwen: A Middle-earth Story?

It sounds like they're milking the IP in an attempt to Marvelise it with all these spinoffs. Again, like Disney did with Star Wars. We already had the Rings of Power, and we know how that turned out. Then there was the Gollum game that came out last year, which was apparently dreadful.

Will WB's upcoming The War of the Rohirrim animated movie be any good? Maybe. Maybe the Gollum film will be good. Some of the wording in the press release sounds like a deliberate repudiation of the wording used by Amazon when promoting TROP, and that could be a good sign. For example:

"For over two decades, moviegoers have embraced the 'Lord of the Rings' film trilogy because of the undeniable devotion Peter, Fran and Philippa have shown towards protecting the legacy of Tolkien's works, and to ensure audiences could experience the incredible world he created in a way that honors his literary vision," De Luca and Abdy said in a statement Thursday. "We are honored they have agreed be our partners on these two new films. With Andy coming aboard to direct 'Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,' we continue an important commitment to excellence that is a true hallmark of how we all want to venture ahead and further contribute to the 'Lord of the Rings' cinematic history."

Jackson, Walsh and Boyens added: "It is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that Stinker — Gollum! As life long fans of Professor Tolkien's vast mythology, we are proud to be working with Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy and the entire team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!"

"Yesssss, Precious," Serkis said. "The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle Earth Peter, Fran and Philippa. With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our filmmaking family in New Zealand, it's just all too delicious..."   

https://variety.com/2024/film/news/lord-of-the-rings-movie-2026-release-warner-bros-1235997102/

From these statements, it does sound like they're trying to stay true to Tolkien's vision, unlike Amazon. But will they actually do it? Hopefully they'll learn not only from the mistakes of TROP but also from those of The Hobbit trilogy. We'll just have to wait and see. But I'd feel more enthusiastic if Serkis and Jackson had announced they were collaborating on an adaptation of a novel that hadn't previously been adapted. There are plenty of classics to choose from.

[Silver Nemesis]

[Silver Nemesis]

Here are some impressive AI-generated trailers for movies based on Tolkien's First Age books.

The Silmarillion

Beren and Lúthien

The Children of Húrin

The Fall of Gondolin

I like to imagine these films exist in an alternate reality. Sadly in this reality we're stuck with The Rings of Power. Oh well. We've still got the books.