Fun Tolkien: The Life & Works

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
JRR Tolkien book Beren and Lúthien published after 100 years


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A new book by Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien is going on sale - 100 years after it was first conceived.

Beren and Lúthien has been described as a "very personal story" that the Oxford professor thought up after returning from the Battle of the Somme.

It was edited by his son Christopher Tolkien and contains versions of a tale that became part of The Silmarillion.

The book features illustrations by Alan Lee, who won an Academy Award for his work on Peter Jackson's film trilogy.

It is being published on Thursday by HarperCollins on the 10th anniversary of the last Middle Earth book, The Children of Húrin.

Tolkien specialist John Garth, who wrote Tolkien And The Great War, said the Hobbit author used his writing like an "exorcism" of the horrors he witnessed in World War One.

He said: "When he came back from the trenches, with trench fever, he spent the winter [of 1916-1917] convalescing.


"He'd lost two of his dearest friends on the Somme and you can imagine he must have been inside as much of a wreck as he was physically."

Mr Garth said on a walk in an East Yorkshire wood Tolkien's wife Edith danced in a glade filled with white flowers, which became the key scene in Beren and Lúthien.

He said: "Mr Tolkien felt the kind of joy he must have felt at times he would never feel again."

The names Beren and Lúthien are carved on the gravestone Tolkien and his wife share in Wolvercote cemetery in Oxford.

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The story is about the fate of lovers Beren and Lúthien, a mortal man and an immortal elf who together try to steal from the greatest of all evil beings, Melkor.

For the new book Christopher Tolkien, now aged 92, has kept his father's story in the original form in which it was written and has also shown how the narrative changed to become part of The Silmarillion.

Published in 1954, The Lord of the Rings was the sequel to The Hobbit and is one of the most successful novels ever written, having sold more than 150 million copies.

The film adaptation, released from 2001 to 2003, is one of the highest-grossing series of all time, with the final movie also winning 11 Academy Awards, tied for the most ever with Ben Hur.



 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Tolkien & Warners Settle “Hobbit” Dispute


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After five years, Warner Bros. Pictures and the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien have reportedly resolved a rights dispute regarding the former’s film adaptations of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings”.

The settlement, announced in a court filing, ends a drawn out legal scuffle regarding the “digital exploitation” in online slot machines and other games of the various fantasy characters from the hit films.

Both the Tolkien estate and publisher HarperCollins alleged the studio never had rights to license characters for such purposes and launched an $80 million lawsuit. Warners then countersued with a claim that the estate cost it ‘millions of dollars in license fees’ from merchandising when it filed a legal challenge.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but the legal filing said the resolution was amicable, and that no fees or costs are to be awarded by the court or recovered by either party.

In 2009, the estate and New Line reached a settlement about profits regarding “The Lord of the Rings” and once that was reached, the studio was able to move forward with “The Hobbit” trilogy.
 

Gavin

Member: Rank 6
VIP
I fell in love with first The Hobbit and then Lord of the Rings when I was introduced to them by a friend at 12. I picked up an audio cassette version of The Hobbit from the school library and started reading Lord of the Rings after my friend dragged me to the Bakshi animated movie. I've since re-read them both many times. Never managed to get into The Silmarillion, although I've got a copy sitting at home that I really should get into at some point.
 

Gavin

Member: Rank 6
VIP
I suspect a TV series could work for LOTR or even an eventual trilogy movie remake could be on the cards. But, given how well this trilogy worked out from both an audience and critical reception, I think it would need to be a long time before they tried to do it. Unless someone is very sure they can do something that will be better received than Peter Jackson's version any attempt to remake this in any format is doomed to failure as long as people remember them.
 

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
Is that it for the films?
After six films, I should fucking hope so.
Would a tv series work?
Yes, it would - and it did...

GAME OF THRONES - or as I think of it, Tolkien Light...
Or is there a dim future for this particular franchise?
Dim?! There are a couple of books and six massive films that take a week to watch.

If you ask me, the franchise has been a success.

Now, let's move on...
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Amazon Plans A “Lord of the Rings” TV Series


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Warner Bros. Television and the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien are in talks with Amazon Studios to develop a TV series based on the author’s “The Lord of the Rings” novels. Sources for Variety suggest that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is personally involved in the negotiations, which are still in very early stages.

Warners and the Tolkien estate have reportedly been shopping this new series adaptation idea for a while now with Amazon emerging as the frontrunner in a competitive fight for the rights. The potential deal comes at a complicated time for Amazon which in the past month has cleared out the executive ranks of its TV division including three senior personnel.

However it also fits in with the division’s new mandate to move away from niche and grounded series into large-scale genre programming with broad international appeal. At the same time, Warners and the Tolkien estate settled a massive lawsuit in July and now seem to be willing collaborators again.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
If you ask me, the franchise has been a success.

Now, let's move on...

Amazon Plans A “Lord of the Rings” TV Series


This is your fault, Ant-Mac! :emoji_cold_sweat:

I have noticed repeatedly that, whenever you talk sense, Hollywood goes and does the opposite!

The co-incidence factor is beyond the pale now! :emoji_alien:
 
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Gavin

Member: Rank 6
VIP
I have noticed repeatedly that, whenever you talk sense, Hollywood goes and does the opposite!
Yes. I think it's time for Ant-Mac to start demanding reboots/reimaginings of all classic movies and TV shows. That should put a complete stop to all this madness.
 

chainsaw_metal1

Member: Rank 8
Is that it for the films?
It would be my wish to end the films, yes.
Would a tv series work?
If they could make a - shall we say, cohesive - mini-series based upon the Simarillion or some of his other works, then I would be all for it.

I think my issue is that, outside of die-hard Tolkien enthusiasts, I can't see much of an audience for any of that. The LOTR series did well, because it was time to bring back the fantasy genre. And honestly, The Hobbit did not need to be split into three movies. While I could watch the LOTR films anytime, the Hobbit movies make me sleepy. Lots of good stuff, to be sure, but it could have been trimmed. A lot. Right now, I think there's no call for more, but I could be wrong.

This is your fault, Ant-Mac! :emoji_cold_sweat:

I have noticed repeatedly that, whenever you talk sense, Hollywood goes and does the opposite!

The co-incidence factor is beyond the pale now! :emoji_alien:
Yes. I think it's time for Ant-Mac to start demanding reboots/reimaginings of all classic movies and TV shows. That should put a complete stop to all this madness.
The gauntlet has now been thrown, Herr @ant-mac.
 

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
It would be my wish to end the films, yes.

If they could make a - shall we say, cohesive - mini-series based upon the Simarillion or some of his other works, then I would be all for it.

I think my issue is that, outside of die-hard Tolkien enthusiasts, I can't see much of an audience for any of that. The LOTR series did well, because it was time to bring back the fantasy genre. And honestly, The Hobbit did not need to be split into three movies. While I could watch the LOTR films anytime, the Hobbit movies make me sleepy. Lots of good stuff, to be sure, but it could have been trimmed. A lot. Right now, I think there's no call for more, but I could be wrong.



The gauntlet has now been thrown, Herr @ant-mac.
How did you know I have German blood in me?

Answer me!

So... You vish to test yourself? Huh?

Very well... I have vays of making you talk.

Don't say you vere not varned...
 

chainsaw_metal1

Member: Rank 8
How did you know I have German blood in me?

Answer me!
Sie haben wunderbare nordische Eigenschaften. Außerdem hast du Saurkraut auf deinem Schuh.
So... You vish to test yourself? Huh?

Very well... I have vays of making you talk.

Don't say you vere not varned...
Ich werde das Schnitzel und eine Bestellung von Bratkartoffeln haben.

Ich würde auch Nacktfotos von Bea Arthur mögen.
 

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
Sie haben wunderbare nordische Eigenschaften. Außerdem hast du Saurkraut auf deinem Schuh.

Ich werde das Schnitzel und eine Bestellung von Bratkartoffeln haben.

Ich würde auch Nacktfotos von Bea Arthur mögen.
Das ist nicht Sauerkraut auf meinem Schuh. Never Kick jemanden in den Hintern, wenn Sie stehen auf einem FKK-Strand.

Möchtest du etwas Sauerkraut mit deinem Schnitzel und Pommes frites? Ich bekam einige vor kurzem, während ich am Strand war.

Haben Sie gesehen, die nackt Fotos von Bea Arthur in Sauerkraut abgedeckt? Wenigstens denke ich, es ist Sauerkraut ...
 

chainsaw_metal1

Member: Rank 8
Ich traf einmal einen gefundenen Bilndmann an einem FKK-Strand. Wie? Oh, es war nicht schwer ...

Die Aussicht auf Bea Arthur und Sauerkraut fasziniert mich. Vielleicht fügen Sie einen Klecks deutschen Senfs hinzu, und das könnte durchaus der Abend sein.

Apropos, ich könnte wirklich für ein chinesisches Essen und etwas Spam gehen.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
J.R.R. Tolkien’s Son Resigns From Estate


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Despite their critical and commercial success, one man was not happy with filmmaker Peter Jackson and his cinematic take on J.R.R. Tolkien “The Lord of the Rings” – the author’s son Christopher Tolkien.

The younger Tolkien was an outspoken critic of of the adaptations and, as the director of his father’s estate and a fierce protector of it, was a big reason why further stories set in Middle-Earth haven’t been brought to the screen.

Now though, at 93, Christopher Tolkien has resigned as director of the estate following the publication of Beren and Luthien which he calls his “last book in the long series of editions of [his] father’s writings.”

With his departure, which actually took place in August but is only now being made public, it likely means more movies, shows and other adaptations set in that legendary fantasy world may happen. This partly explains the recent announcement of Amazon’s $250 million multi-season deal to make a “Lord of the Rings” prequel series.

Tolkien’s daughter, Priscilla Tolkien, and various grandchildren are still members of the estate and seem decidedly more open to making movie and television deals. This may also mean works previously off limits, like “The Silmarillion,” could be optioned for television.
 
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