When is Amazon releasing its Lord of the Rings TV series? Who’s in the cast?
FANTASY fans out there will rejoice at the prospect of a getting a Lord of the Rings fix with the upcoming Amazon series.
It's been almost twenty years since the fan-favourite book was on screen in the first of Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning trilogy and now it's coming to the small screen. Here's what we know so far.
When is Amazon releasing its Lord of the Rings TV series?
Amazon reportedly forked out a cool $250million (£192million) for the rights to produce five series based on the much-loved J.R.R.Tolkien novel.
The company made the mammoth deal back in 2017 and according to IMDB the release dat og the much-anticipated show is not until 2020.
However producers are remaining tight-lipped about an exact date, so we can keep our fingers crossed it will be out in 2019.
Unfortunately for you fans out there you're going to be kept in the dark for a little longer.
What's it about?
Perhaps unsurprisingly it quite closely follows the storyline and script of the original novel - a relief to diehard fans no doubt.
The story will not be a retelling of the famed original trilogy but instead will focus on producing other Middle Earth adventures.
A tweet from long-running Tolkien fan site 'The One Ring' declares that “multiple sources” have confirmed the first series of the drama will centre around a young Aragon.
Amazon also revealed that the series will take place during the 3,441-year period before the happenings of The Fellowship of the Ring - or if we are speaking "Tolkein" then the Age of Numenor or the Second Age.
So unfortunately it's unlikely that all of the much-loved characters will feature as some fall out of that time period.
At this point it is all just speculation on what the specifics and which characters will take centre stage, so again fans might not want to hold their breaths just yet.
Amazon has committed to producing five seasons of Lord of the Rings TV and the original announcement includes a "potential additional spin-off series."
The Lord Of The Rings film series became one of the highest-grossing movies in history during its release, raking in an almost combined $3billion worldwide.
Who's in the cast?
Again producers are keeping schtum on the cast - giving the production even more of an air of mystery.
But we do know that Ian McKellen - who played Gandalf in all six of the films - has indicated he's keen to get on board.
Speaking to Graham Norton on his BBC radio show back in December 2017, the thespian declared in mock indignation:
"What do you mean, another Gandalf?
“I haven’t said yes because I haven’t been asked. But are you suggesting that someone else is going to play it?"
Before joking: "Gandalf is over 7,000 years old, so I’m not too old."
And crew wise, we know for sure that Peter Jackson is definitely not involved in the series.
He told French mag Allocine: "I’m not involved at all in the Lord of the Rings series…I understand how my name could come up, but there is nothing happening with me on this project.”
Rather, Star Trek 4 writers JD Payne and Patrick McKay will be bringing the story to life.
They declared that they were "absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Amazon to bring it to life anew".
And added: “We feel like Frodo, setting out from the Shire, with a great responsibility in our care. It is the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime.”