Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Lord of the Rings

  • Amazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings Series Title, Release Date Revealed

    Amazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings Series Title, Release Date Revealed

    Amazon Prime’s long-gestating Lord of the Rings series now has an official subtitle and a confirmed release date. The streaming network revealed today that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will debut this Fall on September 2nd.

    The series, which has been in development since 2018, will debut with an 8-episode first season set during Middle-earth’s Second Age, the time that saw the rise of Sauron and his eventual defeat at the hands of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Pre–production on a second season is underway and filming is expected to take place in the UK this Spring. Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi and Tom Budge lead a huge, ensemble cast.

  • THE GAME AWARDS: New Teaser Release for ‘The Lord of the Rings: Gollum’

    THE GAME AWARDS: New Teaser Release for ‘The Lord of the Rings: Gollum’

    After being teased for quite some time, it looks like they’ve finally shared a new look at the upcoming Lord of the Rings spinoff game focused on Gollum. The sneaky adventure has been offered through glimpses throughout the years, but we still have no release date ore ven full gameplay on the game. Here’s hoping the wait isn’t much longer.

    Source: YouTube

  • Amazon Eyeing ‘THE LORD OF THE RINGS’ Trilogy Composer for Spinoff Series

    Amazon Eyeing ‘THE LORD OF THE RINGS’ Trilogy Composer for Spinoff Series

    It looks like the upcoming Lord of the Rings spinoff series is actively seeking to bring back the original trilogy’s composer Howard Shore back into the fold. He’s worked on a variety of series which also include The Hobbit trilogy, Hugo, The Departed, and even the Twilight saga. The series wrapped up production for its first season and is currently in post-production. Shore has yet to sign on for what may be the most expensive television series ever developed, as its production budget stands at an astounding $465 million.

    That’s just how much the first season costs with a second already signed off, which will move production from New Zealand to the UK. It’s still a shocking development as the country was one of the landmarks behind the original films. The costs seemed to go into building some of the most elaborate sets for a show. Yet, it won’t be cheap as they’ll get shipped from New Zealand to the UK adding more fuel to the fire for this abrupt move. The belief is due to the author’s own heritage, the shire was based in rural England that the show is trying to capture moving forward.

    J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay are developing the series that will explore the SEcond AGe of Middle-Earth, which takes place thousands of years before the original film trilogy and novels. The series has gathered an extensive cast that will showcase the confrontation with a re-emerging evil as the times of peace come to an end.

    Source: Deadline

  • Amazon Investing $465 Million in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ First Season

    Amazon Investing $465 Million in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ First Season

    It looks like Amazon Studios’ ambitions have reached an all-new high, as recent reports have unveiled that their upcoming The Lord of the Rings series might be the most expensive show ever produced. They are estimated to spend NZ$650 million, which is around US$465 million. Keep in mind, this is the budget for the first season and not the entire series run. As far as we know, they also plan to have future seasons to expand it.

    This investment also has a very important meaning for New Zealand moving forward, as the money is invested into their local economy. Amazon received a $100 million boost for the film production and made a multi-year deal to secure benefits from the country. Minister of Economic Development and Tourism Stuard Nash shared his enthusiasm:

    I think what we have got out of Amazon in terms of the MOU and the industry and how we’re going to train people and our ability to use footage for tourism, the ability to leverage off a lot of what Amazon is doing, is fantastic

    It is a historic development that could be the start of higher budgeted shows moving forward. Disney+ has been moving to give their series movie-level budgets with their originals. The Mandalorian cost $15 million per episode while Marvel Studios’ productions would reach up to $25 Million. As The Hollywood Reporter points out, even HBO’s titan Game of Thrones cost $100 million per season. It’ll be interesting to see if this high investment pays off for them.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter, RNZ, Hollywood Reporter (Disney+)

  • First Gameplay for ‘The Lord of the Rings: Gollum’ Released

    First Gameplay for ‘The Lord of the Rings: Gollum’ Released

    Lord of the Rings is slowly making its grand return. Amazon is still hard at work at developing a brand new series that takes place in J.R.R. Tolkiens’ fantasy world. We’ve seen the Lord of the Rings’ Middle-Earth games offered an action-packed take on the franchise. I loved the introduction of the Nemesis system, which added a wild factor to every time you wished to explore the various regions. Now, the franchise is expanding with a new game that focuses on the iconic character Gollum. It has been seven months since the first teaser trailer released and after a long wait, they finally unveiled the first gameplay trailer, which you can check out right here:

     

     

    It makes sense a Gollum-focused story would lend itself to a stealth game style. The trailer offers a small glimpse at the different locations you’ll be visiting throughout your time playing the game. It certailny looks like the game might be puzzle-focused and a bit linear as you try to survive in a world filled with blood-thirsty Orcs. It is disappointing that they only really offer small glimpses of the actual gameplay, but it still looks promising. We will get to visit a time before Gollum runs into the Hobbits.

    They also seem to be teasing Sauron at the end. Hopefully, they might play around with his obsession with the ring, as it torments the player during the story to add some tense moments. We don’t know if this will tie into the 2001 films or the original novels. They might also set it within an alternative timeline, like the Middle-Earth games. Either way, the trailer looks promising, and can’t wait to dive back into this fantastical world.

    Source: YouTube

  • Amazon’s ‘LORD OF THE RINGS’ Synopsis Revealed

    Amazon’s ‘LORD OF THE RINGS’ Synopsis Revealed

    The Tolkien superfans over at TheOneRing.net revealed as an exclusive Tuesday night, live on Twitter that they got their little Hobbit hands on the “authentic and official” synopsis for the long-awaited Lord of the Rings Amazon series!

    Check it out below!

    Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

    It’s been known for some time now that the Amazon series would be taking a deep dive into the history of Middle Earth, and the heroes and villains of its past. With a huge and diverse ensemble cast, a return to the original breathtaking and beautiful filming locations of New Zealand, and the chance to explore the history behind the beloved world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, this is one of my most highly anticipated series. No release date has been set yet, but Lord of the Rings is currently expected/hoped to begin streaming on Amazon Prime sometime in 2021.

    Source: TheOneRing.net

  • ‘The Lord of the Rings: Gollum’ Teaser Released

    ‘The Lord of the Rings: Gollum’ Teaser Released

    Sometimes the industry reveals a game that you just don’t know how to feel about. It’s the kind you hear about but never really follow. You start thinking about playing it but you’d rather save up money for the next big release. Then one day, you just end up giving it a try because you heard some great reviews. I had that experience with Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor.

    While I did love the original Lord of the Rings film trilogy, I would not call myself a die-hard fan of the franchise. What I love about it is the lore and mythology that J. R. R. Tolkien created. This game had such a unique system that I still adore it to this day. It was one of the biggest surprises for me when I decided to buy it. I couldn’t wait to see what else they have planned after Middle-Earth: Shadow of War was released. Well, I didn’t expect a game about Gollum. We even got a short teaser for the upcoming project.

    It is a very brief trailer that teases the side of Middle Earth we will explore as the titular Gollum. All we know is that it will be a stealth-action game. Makes absolute sense, as Gollum won’t be running around taking down Orcs with a sword. It is a nice touch to show Mount Doom in the distance, as Gollum sets out for this journey.  I am once again unsure of how to feel about this game. Yet, that is mostly due to the lack of gameplay to get a feeling for how we control the iconic character. Also, I wonder if they will get Andy Serkis to reprise his role from the films.

    Source: IGN YouTube

  • Rumor: Kaya Scodelario may be in Amazon’s ‘LORD OF THE RINGS’

    Rumor: Kaya Scodelario may be in Amazon’s ‘LORD OF THE RINGS’

    I know, I know… you’re probably asking what am I doing writing a Lord of The Rings piece when you’re used to seeing me write about MCU stuff? Well, you may have noticed Murphy’s Multiverse has been doing some very important growing by adding more writers and an equally important expanding of interests lately. This is because, as Charles has said, it’s truly meant to be a “multiverse” here. The writers are encouraged to cover what they care about most, not simply as “scoopers” or as reporters, but as fans. 

    As a pretty much lifelong fan of Lord of the Rings, one of my most anticipated projects coming up, aside from any Marvel films and series, is the television series based on the books that’s being produced by Amazon. So I plan to cover that series from time to time here.

    First up, some fan detective work over at @theoneringnet Twitter has uncovered evidence that actress Kaya Scodelario (most noted from The Maze Runner and the Pirates of the Carribean franchise) just might have part in the new Lord of the Rings TV series. 

    Theonering.net Twitter account speculated Kaya was most likely traveling to New Zealand due to the 27 hour trip from UK where, of course, Lord of the Rings is filming. Other posts on Kaya’s Instagram just a few weeks earlier seemed to point to her planning to leave the UK, moving, and not returning to “Blighty” until next year some time.

    Supporting this theory, was a post by Instagram user @kayascodnews who shared a very interesting image that Kaya had posted and then, even more interestingly, deleted, of a going away image made up by some of her friends.

    Scodelario certainly has some Elfish qualities about her and bears a striking resemblance to Arwen (played by Liv Tyler in LOTR), leading some to speculate she could be playing Arwen’s mother Celebrían. But this is all of course fan theory, especially without knowing for sure that she’s actually in this new Lord of the Rings series.

    And while I agree, I certainly think she could be in the LOTR series, she could instead simply be moving there early to eventually work on the Resident Evil reboot she is believed to have signed up to do (as first reported by Daniel Richtman back in early April via his Patreon, and picked up by other sites). But there has also been no word on where and when Resident Evil will film as of late. At least not that I have found. So a statement from @theoneringnet that that movie will be filming in New Zealand next year appears to be just rumor as well for now. Although again, the films probable star appearing to take a very very long plane trip with her family and move somewhere far far away for an extended period, would certainly seem to indicate she is filming something in New Zealand or Australia. Whether it is Lord of The Rings, which has already been filming without her, or Resident Evil which as of April was meant to begin filming in June, or something else, is unclear. It was reported earlier this year that the film was planned to be in Canada or Serbia when it does start (also previously reported by Daniel and other sites).

    But of course, in this crazy time, and a pandemic to deal with, clearly plans can change, and a big budget film once planned to begin in June in Canada or Serbia, could certainly change to a safer seeming New Zealand a bit later in the year.

    So while I am very intrigued by the evidence, I’m afraid the jury is still out with me on whether or not Kaya Scodelario is in The Lord of The Rings series. I assume we might get a better idea from her Instagram or the trades any day now tho.