While the Lord of the Rings book series has been a staple of fantasy literature for decades, the series gained massive attention following Peter Jackson’s trilogy of live-action films, with Elijah Wood starring as Frodo in the epic. Amazon Studios is currently developing a Lord of the Rings TV show, which takes place at a different point in time in the universe of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world, with the actor noting that, were the series to be officially titled “The Lord of the Rings,” it would be quite misleading, given that this title applies to a very specific narrative within that complex lore.
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“They’re calling it ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ but I think that’s slightly misleading,” Wood revealed to IndieWire, “From what I understand, the material they are working on exists chronologically further back in history in the lore of Lord of the Rings or Middle-Earth than any characters represented in Lord of the Rings.”
He added, “It sounds more Silmarillion era. Not to get nerdy, but it’s the Second Age of Middle-Earth.”
With the production currently shooting in New Zealand and with minimal details about the project having been released, it’s possible that the series could ultimately debut with a different title or potentially use the familiar “Lord of the Rings” branding as a subtitle within its official title.
Regardless of the potentially misleading nature of the title, Wood admits he would be open to appearing in the series, so long as it was an authentic and earned opportunity for Frodo to somehow appear, despite the series being set so long before his character’s existence.
“If there was a world where that made sense and was organic to what they’re doing, then yes,” the actor admitted to whether he’d return to the franchise. “Look, any excuse to get to go to New Zealand to work on something I am absolutely there.”
Thanks to the majestic ways in which Jackson used his native New Zealand to craft the look of Middle-Earth, this new series hopes to embrace that iconography to transport audiences to the fictional world.
“As we searched for the location in which we could bring to life the primordial beauty of the Second Age of Middle-earth, we knew we needed to find somewhere majestic, with pristine coasts, forests, and mountains, that also is a home to world-class sets, studios, and highly skilled and experienced craftspeople and other staff,” showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay shared in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter, before production started. “We’re happy that we are now able to officially confirm New Zealand as our home for our series based on stories from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.”
They added, “We are grateful to the people and the government of New Zealand and especially Auckland for supporting us during this pre-production phase. The abundant measure of Kiwi hospitality with which they have welcomed us has already made us feel right at home, and we are looking forward to deepening our partnership in the years to come.”
Stay tuned for details on the Lord of the Rings TV series.
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