Amazon reveals Netflix ‘took the Marvel approach’ to The Lord of The Rings that ‘completely freaked out’ The Tolkien Estate.. and led to Amazon landing the franchise
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will wrap up its epic eight-episode season next week, with some of the Amazon executives shedding light on how they actually landed the rights to the beloved property.
After a lawsuit was settled between The Tolkien Estate and The Tolkien Trust, the rights to the franchise were shopped to various entities in 2017.
While Amazon ultimately acquired the rights in November 2017 for a reported $250 million – for just the rights alone – a new report from The Hollywood Reporter reveals how Amazon ultimately won the rights… and revealed Netflix was planning a ‘Marvel approach’ to the property.
Rights: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will wrap up its epic eight-episode season next week, with some of the Amazon executives shedding light on how they actually landed the rights to the beloved property
Netflix: While Amazon ultimately acquired the rights in November 2017 for a reported $250 million – for just the rights alone – a new report from The Hollywood Reporter reveals how Amazon ultimately won the rights… and revealed Netflix was planning a ‘Marvel approach’ to the property’
Sources claimed that one suitor for the rights – HBO – had planned on returning to the Third Age of Middle-earth, the same time frame where Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy is set.
The Tolkien Estate reportedly wasn’t interested in treading the same ground as the films, with Tolkien’s own son even stating that Jackson’s films, ‘eviscerated’ the books.
Netflix, on the other hand, reportedly pitched a number of shows including one focusing on the wizard Gandalf (played in the movies by Ian McKellen) and another drama series focusing on Aragorn (played in the movies by Viggo Mortensen).
Trilogy: Sources claimed that one suitor for the rights – HBO – had planned on returning to the Third Age of Middle-earth, the same time frame where Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy is set
Pitch: Sources claimed that one suitor for the rights – HBO – had planned on returning to the Third Age of Middle-earth, the same time frame where Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy is set
‘They took the Marvel approach, and that completely freaked out the estate,’ said one unnamed insider of Netflix’s pitch.
Sources also claimed the oft-reported price of $250 million was actually Netflix’ offer, and Amazon’s number was said to be, ‘tens of millions less’ and yet they still landed the property.
Amazon’s team – then lead by Albert Cheng, Sharon Tal Yguado and Dan Scharf – didn’t pitch a specific series to The Tolkien Estate, but instead offered them a seat at the creative table so they could best project the author’s legacy.
Freaked out: ‘They took the Marvel approach, and that completely freaked out the estate,’ said one unnamed insider of Netflix’s pitch
‘It was our collective passion and fidelity to Tolkien that really won the day,’ said Amazon Studios TV co-head Vernon Sanders.
After landing the rights, the search went out to find the writers to the series, which resulted in J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay coming aboard… after nearly a decade writing movie scripts, including uncredited work in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond.
They ultimately pitched a show set within the ‘Second Age’ of Tolkien lore – a five-season saga that would expand the five-minute prologue narrated by Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel in the opening moments of 2001’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Fidelity: ‘It was our collective passion and fidelity to Tolkien that really won the day,’ said Amazon Studios TV co-head Vernon Sanders
Writers: After landing the rights, the search went out to find the writers to the series, which resulted in J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay coming aboard… after nearly a decade writing movie scripts, including uncredited work in 2016’s Star Trek Beyond
Their pitch ultimately beat out other Hollywood luminaries such as The Russo Brothers (Avengers: Endgame), who pitched another Aragorn story in the Third Age and Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything) who pitched a Shakespearean take.
Payne and McKay also revealed that Season 2 started filming this week in U.K.’s Bray Studios, and they said their aim is simple: to be, ‘bigger and better’ on ‘every level … by an order of magnitude.’
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power concludes with its final two episodes airing October 7 and October 14, respectively.
Pitch: Their pitch ultimately beat out other Hollywood luminaries such as The Russo Brothers (Avengers: Endgame), who pitched another Aragorn story in the Third Age and Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything) who pitched a Shakespearean take
Source: Read Full Article