'Lord of the Rings' Star Thinks JRR Tolkien Would Be "Spinning in His Grave" About TV Series

For those fans who think six movies that clock in at a total of nearly 20 hours wasn't enough [...]

For those fans who think six movies that clock in at a total of nearly 20 hours wasn't enough content based on JRR Tolkien's seminal Lord of the Rings fantasy series, Amazon has recently confirmed that it is moving forward with a multi-season deal to develop a series set before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. Star of the original trilogy John Rhys-Davies recently shared his thoughts on the endeavor, claiming that, were he still alive, Tolkien would be "spinning in his grave" at the thought of the endeavor.

"Well, you know they have the money to do it. Why we quite needLord Of The Rings as a TV series baffles me slightly," Rhys-Davies told Den of Geek. "I mean, poor Tolkien must be spinning in his grave."

Given the reception to the Hobbit trilogy, which paled in comparison to the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, many fans have seen this series as a financial opportunity instead of a creative one. Rhys-Davies shares this financially-motivated sentiment.

"This is the point you see - it's not about doing it better, it's about making more money, that's all," the actor pointed out. "If they think they can make more money, then they will."

Rhys-Davies went on to describe what he thinks would be a more compelling approach to the fantasy realm.

"Actually, I've got a better idea for them, or for any company – Lord Of The Rings spun-off an awful lot of imitations about elves and dwarves and things like that and I would simply buy those up and put them together and make a wonderful elvish… there was a trilogy of books that were given to me the other day by a lady author, who'd written an account of the adventures of a dwarvish lady," Rhys-Davies detailed. "That would make a far more interesting account of Tolkien's words, in a world like that."

With Game of Thrones concluding with its next season, there will be a massive void in fantasy-themed programming, which this new series could potentially capture.

"And you know there are hundreds and hundreds of young writers, who have made their contributions and if was a well-heeled film producer, that's where I'd be looking, because that gives more actors more chances and it's still a great tribute to Tolkien," the actor posited. "It costs less to make and it would be original and fresh, but then what the hell do I know!?"

Stay tuned for details on the upcoming Lord of the Rings series.

[H/T Den of Geek]

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