Last November, Amazon announced a forthcoming Lord of the Rings prequel television series, following the box office success — and critical failure — of The Hobbit trilogy.
In preparation for the new series, Amazon acquired the global television rights to the series of novels penned by J.R.R. Tolkien.
On Wednesday, a Lord of the Rings fan site announced confirmation that the series will focus on Aragorn, son of Arathorn, the king of Gondor.
“We have confirmed from multiple sources that Amazon Studios’s new billion-dollar [Lord of the Rings] series will open its first season centered on a young Aragorn,” TheOneRing.net tweeted.
[BREAKING] We have confirmed from multiple sources that @AmazonStudios new billion-dollar #LOTR series will open its first season centered on a young Aragorn.
Let's discuss whats available and how this opens up Tolkien's Legendarium. A thread. #Tolkien
/1 pic.twitter.com/mfbkf4jyX6— TheOneRing.net (@theoneringnet) May 16, 2018
The Amazon Prime series will not retell the War of the Ring, the struggle between the Fellowship of the Ring and the Dark Lord Sauron already told so well in the original trilogy. Instead, the show will focus on events told in the Lord of the Rings Appendices.
TheOneRing.net argued that Aragorn is the perfect choice, because his story is “just so rich,” “plentiful in new characters and familiar ones we already love.”
In The Lord of the Rings, Aragorn enters the story as “Strider,” a ranger from the North with a mysterious backstory. That backstory can open up a great deal more of Middle Earth: Arnor, the sister kingdom to Gondor; the Dunedain line of kings; and the Witch-king of Angmar, the great leader of Sauron’s Ringwraiths.
Aragorn has a longstanding friendship with Gandalf the Grey, the wizard responsible for both the hobbit Bilbo’s adventures in The Hobbit and the Fellowship itself. Aragorn spends a great deal of time in Rivendell, fostered under Lord Elrond and developing an (initially) ill-fated romance with his daughter, Arwen. A series on his life could focus on his origins, his friendships, and his romance — all compelling material.
Of the original Fellowship, only Gandalf, Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli could provide enough material for a prequel series, and of those characters Aragorn and Gandalf are arguably the best choices.
“If there were a better choice to launch a half-billion dollar endeavor, we can’t see it. The entire Young Aragorn thing offers exactly what the fans want and minimizes risk for the studio,” TheOneRing.net argued.
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.”
/20— TheOneRing.net (@theoneringnet) May 16, 2018
Some have already poo-pooed the series, because it is unlikely to feature the sex of “Game of Thrones,” but there is reason to suspect the show will capture something of the original trilogy’s success. If Amazon can mimic the depth of Lord of the Rings, with its compelling characters, story, and world, it is likely to attract a great deal of new subscribers.
Watch the trailer for The Fellowship of the Ring below.
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