Even after six full-blown fantasy epics in the space of 14 years, it appears there are still more stories to be told in Middle-earth.
Case in point: Amazon’s sprawling plans for a TV series based on The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary masterclass that has inspired countless works of fiction over the past 50 years. And it isn’t over yet.
Granted, it’s still early, early days for Game of Thrones-esque revival, though we now have reason to believe that the end product will center on the young Aragon, son of Arathorn, as he journeys through Middle-earth. Citing “multiple sources” familiar with the embryonic project, online fansite TheOneRing.net (h/t ComicBook.com) is alleging that Aragorn’s arc will form the basis of season 1, before subsequent installments expand into the wider Middle-earth.
The Lord of the Rings may also skate around the events concerning the War of the Ring; instead, it will place a laser focus on the famous Appendices of Tolkien’s classic and span years – if not centuries – with Aragorn at its core.
TheOneRing.net outlines all this (and more!) in a fascinating series of Tweets, one which ultimately highlights the innate advantage of selecting a known character like Aragorn to launch what is undoubtedly a half-billion dollar gamble.
This is the greatest advantage the show runners have: that so much of Tolkien’s storytelling, even just in “Appendix A,” covers a tremendous swath of time. Starting with a young Aragorn narrative allows connections to his Numenorean bloodline (and to the founding of #Gondor).
In closing, and after mentioning the possibility of flashbacks and the Elves of Rivendell, the outlet’s sources reaffirm that Aragorn is, arguably, the one true lead character to rule them all. When it comes to Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series, at least.
If there were a better choice to launch a half-billion dollar endeavor, we can’t see it. The entire #YoungAragorn thing offers exactly what the fans want and minimizes risk for the studio. Many of us have been predicting exactly this; and “That is an encouraging thought.
Like we mentioned before, The Lord of the Rings is still gestating in the early stages of development, and likely won’t be ready for another few years at least. Then again, we’ve since learned that Amazon only has two years to begin production or they risk losing the keys to Middle-earth. No pressure, then…