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Anyone who has ever tried to read JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series knows that they are very meandering. Tolkien was known for veering off topic in his books, and describing the history of the characters and places he was writing about. All that has left a treasure trove of future Lord of the Rings content, waiting to be capitalized on. Now, Amazon is doing just that. They’ve released the first image for their new Lord of the Rings series, and according to IGN, it looks a lot like the original Lord of the Rings trilogies. 

Here’s what we know about the new series

The new Lord of the Rings may look a lot like the movies, but it probably isn’t going to have much to do with the blockbuster trilogy. According to Amazon, this new series will take place around 1,000 years before Middle Earth as fans of the movies know it. The release date is set for Fall 2022, and its budget dwarfs that of previous Lord of the Rings movies. 

Amazon will spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $465 million for one season of this new series. Around half of their budget went to the rights to Tolkien’s work, which cost $250 million. For reference, according to ScreenRant, the most expensive Lord of the Rings movie was Return of the King, which had a budget of $94 million. The Hobbit movies actually had higher budgets, but nowhere near Amazon’s. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies was the most expensive Hobbit movie with a budget of $250 million. 

The first image from Amazon’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ is striking 

Fans don’t know much about the new Lord of the Rings from Amazon. But there is a new image floating around on the internet, and it is enough to wet fans’ appetites. In the image, a person in a flowing, white garment stands with their back to the camera, looking out over a city. In the distance, behind the city, a tree appears to be on fire. 

Obviously some fans already have theories on exactly what is going on in the still. But one thing is certain: visually, this Amazon’s project is sticking to Peter Jackson’s version of Lord of the Rings. This could easily be a still from one of Jackson’s films. Clearly, Amazon wanted to mirror Jackson’s Middle Earth as much as possible. 

Will the new ‘Lord of the Rings’ have a different name?

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The trilogy was aptly named. After all, it was all about Frodo, the lord of the rings. The Hobbit was named after a hobbit. But what about this new series? So far, Amazon has been referring to it as a Lord of the Rings series, but it likely won’t involve any of the Baggins. After all, the new series will take place one thousand years before the events in The Hobbit. 

Thanks to magical Middle Earth lifespans, fans will see some favorite characters in the new series, despite the time difference. According to the AV Club, it is unlikely any of the original movie actors will come back to reprise their roles. The new show will star Cynthia Addai-Robinson, of Powerfame, and Robert Aramayo, who stunned fans in Netflix’s Behind Her Eyes. But will the rings be involved? That seems to be the only reason the series would have the title Lord of the Rings, although Amazon could have another title on the back burner, waiting for a big reveal. 

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