What should Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel series be about? Here are 13 ideas

Amazon is spending all the money to make a show based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, adapted most famously by Peter Jackson as a trilogy of movies back in the early ’00s. But there’s a twist. According to the company’s press release, “the television adaptation will explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring.” In short, it looks like the new show will be a prequel, and while there are rumors floating around about what that means, there are still lots of directions in which this series could go.

Like Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings has a ton of invented history behind it, much of it detailed in books like The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. Might Amazon’s series show us Morgoth, Sauron’s boss? Will it show us what was happening elsewhere in Middle Earth during the War of the Ring? Will we see more Hobbit feet? The possibilities are endless.

Now, we have no idea if Amazon has the rights to adapt all the stories in Tolkien’s vast mythology, but why should that get in the way of wild speculation? Here’s what Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show could and should be about:

But before we get to that, let’s briefly hit some of the highlights of Toklien’s mythology, so we have some context for what Amazon could make of it. Tolkien divided the history of Middle Earth into four “ages,” each with distinct and major events.

• The First Age concerned the creation of Arda, aka the world, by the gods. The gods created Middle Earth, the seas, and all that good stuff. They also made men and elves. One of the gods, Melkor, got salty and set himself up as a king in Middle Earth, where he came to be known as Morgoth. He fought against the elves, and against men, for the next few hundred years before getting banished from the material plane.
• The Second Age focused on the continuing conflict between the forces of good and evil, with Morgoth’s servant servant Sauron causing all kinds of trouble for elves and men. He also made a bunch of magic rings that would become very important in…
• The Third Age sees the Elves diminish in power, while Men contend with a returned Sauron. This is when The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings go down.
• The Fourth Age, of which Tolkien wrote very little, mainly concerns a peaceful reordering of Middle Earth after the passing of Sauron.

Where will Amazon begin its quest for total television dominance? Here are 13 ideas, ranked in no particular order because they’re all just that good:

The Rise and Fall of Númenor

The island kingdom of Númenor plays an important role in Tolkien’s mythology. Created by the Valar (Tolkien’s gods) as a reward for Man’s help defeating Morgoth, Númenor lay off the west coast of Middle Earth, and was the greatest kingdom of Men in all of Tolkien’s writing. The island was first settled by the half-elf/half-man Elros (brother of Elrond), and was initially a peaceful, powerful nation. The Númenóreans assisted the elves in their fight against Sauron, and while that worked for a while, they eventually moved on to colonizing and conquering large swaths of Middle Earth. Eventually, Númenor descended into tyranny. When Sauron rose yet again (he does that a lot), the Númenoreans sailed to Middle Earth in such might that Sauron surrendered without a fight. Or at least, that’s what the Númenoreans thought.

Sauron, now a captive on Númenor, rotted the place from the inside, turning its citizens to the worship of his former master Morgoth. The last Númenórean king, completely enthralled by Sauron and fearing his own death, assembled the greatest military force ever seen in Middle Earth and sailed for Arda, the home of the Valar, intending conquer the land of the gods. Not to be outdone, the Valar called upon help from Eru, the supreme being of the universe, who sunk the fleet, collapsed Númenor into the sea, destroyed Sauron’s body, and removed Arda from the material world. However, some Númenoreans saw the writing on the wall and fled to Middle Earth before things got crazy, where they founded the kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor.

A series covering the rise and fall of the most powerful kingdom of Men would make for quite a story, even if it would end on — or soon after — a downer. Covering the 3,000-year history of Númenor would be a challenge, to say nothing of the budget, but they could always just focus on the Fall and talk about the history in passing. As for money, Amazon’s plenty.

Shire Stories

Not every series needs to focus on the life or death struggles of the peoples of Middle Earth. Amazon could throw us all a curve ball and center its series on the less violent goings on in Middle Earth’s most peaceful place: the Shire. This would be a show with much lower stakes, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be fun. Picture Brooklyn 99 meets The Office, except everyone has hairy feet and lives in holes.

The Shire is comprised of four separate regions, or farthings, each ripe for exploration. Picture  Merry and Pippin drunkenly recapping their daily attempts at mischief over a pint at the Green Dragon. Or how about a detective show focusing on that old hobbit who scowled at Gandalf every time he saw the wizard pass. The grumpy hobbit could solve all manner of heinous crimes, such as finding out who stole Bilbo’s fork, or discovering why Samwise’s future wife Rosie’s daffodils  keep dying. We can barely stand the tension.

Whatever the focus, light-hearted comedy is the key ingredient here. Also, showrunners could get creative with a series like this since they wouldn’t need to adhere to the larger Middle Earth mythos beyond following some basic guidelines. Invent your own band of hobbit friends, working the farms and taverns of the Shire and leading inconsequential lives filled with elevenses.

The War in the North

If your only experience with Tolkien’s work is Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy, you may not know that there were other conflicts going on during the War of the Ring. While Aragorn, Gandalf and all the rest were fighting off Sauron’s forces around Gondor, Galadriel, the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain and others were doing their part elsewhere in Middle Earth. These are their stories.

In the North, Sauron’s Easterling allies assaulted the Elvish kingdoms, assisted by orcs. Legolas’ father, Thranduil, fought the Battle under the Trees in Mirkwood, while in Lothlorien, where the Fellowship took refuge after Moria, Galadriel held off Sauron’s forces. Both pale in comparison to the second Battle of Dale however, which pitted 200,000 Easterlings against the men of Dale and the Dwarves of the Lonely Mountain. That’s some serious action.

While the events of the War in the North are detailed, they aren’t that detailed, so Amazon could inject its own flavor. At the same time, it would get to work with familiar characters like Galadriel, Thranduil and the dwarvish King Dain. Budget-wise, this series would be fantastically expensive. However, if they stick close to actual events of Lord of the Rings, they’re more likely to pull in people who are already fans of that story.

Beren and Lúthien

Of all the tales Tolkien wrote, and there were a lot, the love story between Beren and Lúthien was perhaps his most personal. In fact, Tolkien is referred to as Beren on his tombstone, while his wife Edith is referred to as Lúthien. So this means a lot to him.

Tolkien also considered this story one of his more important works, with many of its events echoing through the history of Middle Earth. So just who were these two?

Beren was a mortal man born in the Second Age. He came upon the elvish princess Lúthien and instantly fell in love. Lúthien’s father King Thingol disapproved of the match (much as Edith’s parents disapproved of her being with Tolkien) and set Beren an impossible task to win her hand: recover a  Silmaril. The Silmarils, jewels of unsurpassed splendor, were forged by one of Middle Earth’s first elves, Fëanor, and at the time were possessed by Morgoth, Middle Earth’s original big bad. During the quest, which has as many twists and turns as Frodo’s quest to destroy the One Ring, Beren would encounter Sauron, giant werewolves, and finally, Morgoth himself.

Ultimately recovering a Silmaril at the cost of his life, Beren would be resurrected after Lúthien, who died of grief, sang a song of such heartbreak that Mandos, the god of judgement, was moved to pity. The pair would live out their lives in peace in Middle Earth. Their descendants include Aragorn, Elrond, Elros and Arwen. As a series, this be a strong adventure story with a beautiful romance at the center.

Young Aragorn

Descended from Numenorian kings, who were granted longer lives than other men, Aragorn is 87 years old at the start of the Lord of the Rings saga. What was the future king of the Reunited Kingdom of Gondor doing for the decades before that? Quite a lot, actually.

At the age of 2, Aragorn’s father was killed by orcs, leaving Aragorn to be raised by Elrond in Rivendell. It was here that Aragorn and the elf Arwen met in much the same way as did their ancestors, Beren and Lúthien. So bam: the show has romance. From there, Aragorn is off to the races. He befriends Gandalf early on, travels to every corner of Middle Earth, captures and interrogates Gollum, and guards the Shire with his fellow Rangers. Bam: the show has adventure.

Aragorn serving in disguise in the armies of both Gondor and Rohan would provide the large-scale battle scenes Amazon is looking for, while navigating his relationships with Arwen and Elrond would give us the personal drama we need. Using one of Tolkien’s more popular characters as the centerpiece would make for an easy sale, and sprinkling in a few of the others such as Gandalf and Elrond could be arecipe for success. This is the show Amazon is rumored to be making, and it’s a good pick.

Arnor

After the fall of Númenor in the Second Age, the survivors founded the duel kingdoms of Arnor and Gondor. Arnor occupied much of northwestern Middle Earth, and had closer relations with the elves. But although it was the more prestigious of the two kingdoms, Arnor was the first fade into memory.

Like many of our potential series, compressing the time frame here would be tricky. But the series wouldn’t lack for action, as Arnor’s fall is the result of a hundreds-year long conflict with the Witch King and his realm of Angmar, plus a bloody civil war. Condensing down the conflict with the Witch King might be the best route, as both the dwarves and elves of Rivendell were involved at different points.

The conflict would see most of northern Middle Earth depopulated, with its royalty diminished to a few wandering tribes of rangers. The Hobbits would found the Shire in the emptiness that was once the kingdom of Arnor, but the region would remain largely unsettled until Aragorn reestablished it after the War of the Ring.

The Blue Wizards

Wizards are a fantasy staple, and Tolkien’s works feature more than just Gandalf and Saruman. Those two were part of a wizarding order known as the Istari, which also included Radagast as well as a pair of blue wizards who are not named in Tolkien’s texts. Sent by the Valar to counter Sauron, the Istari were lesser spirits named Maiar. They were forbidden from holding outright power…not that that always stopped them. I’m looking at you, Saruman.

So we know what Gandalf and Saruman got up to in Middle Earth, but exploring the adventures of the two unnamed wizards could allow Amazon to venture into uncharted territory. It’s said they were sent into the east, into lands not charted in The Lord of the Rings. What are those lands like? Tune in to find out.

Do the unnamed wizards work together to turn the people of these lands against Sauron? Do they turn on each other, resulting in a wizard war? Maybe on or both become pirates on the Sea of Rhun, or settle down somewhere and establish a wizarding school for children. Amazon could take this series in any direction it wanted.

The Creation of Arda and the War of the Jewels

Of all the ideas here, this might be the most out there. Before the Third, Second, or even the First Age, Tolkien devised a creation story. Middle Earth, or Arda, was made by the Valar, a race of angelic beings. One of the Valar, Melkor, spread disharmony during the singing of the song of creation, which resulted in of a flawed world. Melkor would eventually become Morgoth, whom Sauron would serve for thousands of years before Morgoth was expelled from Middle Earth.

But first Melkor had to earn the Valar’s wrath. It came naturally to him. He destroyed the first source of light in the world (the Two Lamps), and caused the gods to leave Middle Earth for their own continent, Valinor (lit by the Two Trees). Ruling over a darkened Middle Earth, Melkor would wreak much havoc on its inhabitant: the Elves, the Ents and the Dwarves. When Melkor attempted to corrupt the Elves (some say he succeeded, hence orcs) the gods returned to Middle Earth and defeated Melkor, returning with him to Valinor.

But you can’t keep a good bad guy down, so after feigning repentance for a few hundred years, a trick Sauron would later use more than once, Morgoth poisoned the Two Trees with help from the giant spider Ungoliant (the mother of Shelob from The Lord of the Rings), stole the precious Silmarils and set off a civil war among the elves before fleeing back to Middle Earth. Many elves would follow Morgoth, initiating the War of the Jewels. This storyline might work best as a limited series given some of its wilder concepts, but seeing the origins of the conflict that ultimately ended with Frodo tossing a ring into a volcano would be a treat.

The Tom Bombadil Show

Tom Bombadil is one of the biggest enigmas in Tolkien’s mythology. Described as neither human nor god, Bombadil nonetheless boasts vast powers. In the books, Elrond and Gandalf even consider giving him the One Ring, but they figure he’ll just lose it. And the best part is that Bombadil only speaks in a rhyming sing-song pattern. He belongs on TV. But What might this good-natured, all-powerful sprite get up to?

Bombadil resides with his wife, the river spirit Goldberry, on a river near the Shire. We’re not really sure what he gets up to when not saving hobbits from man-eating trees, but we’re betting it mostly involves singing and scampering throughout the forest talking to squirrels and stuff. So for his own show, let him do what he does best. The Tom Bombadil Show will be a musical variety hour, featuring merry songs, chats with forest critters, and each episode ending with a sweet duet between Bombadil and his wife.

That would be an unexpected choice for Amazon. Not many people know about Bombadil — he wasn’t in the movies — and those that do aren’t necessarily fans. Still, it would be worlds cheaper to produce that the other shows on this list, and there’s no reward without risk.

The First Age

The First Age of Middle Earth lasts roughly 3,000 years. That’s a lot of history to cover in one series, but there are some incredible events that would be spectacular to see on screen, of which the saga of Beren and Lúthien is only one. Let’s take a look at a few of the highlights a TV series could cover.

After stealing the Silmarils and fleeing back to Middle Earth following his imprisonment on Arda, Melkor set the continent ablaze in conflict. The elves had sworn a blood oath to defeat Melkor, slaying even their own kind in their quest for vengeance. That conflict would soon involve the newly awakened houses of Men, with the dwarves getting in on the action as well. Dragons, balrogs, and all manner of evil beings fought for Melkor, with betrayals among the forces of good commonplace.

Eventually, Melkor is defeated when the gods themselves come to Middle Earth in force, and an entire continent is sunk in their fury. This series would be CGI-heavy, involving dragons, gods and the like, but the time frame would be the hardest barrier for Amazon to overcome. But hey, most of the key players during this part of the history of Middle Earth are immortal, so they wouldn’t have to recast anyone when skipping ahead a few hundred years.

The Fall of Gondolin

While The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are Tolkien’s most famous works, the story of the elvish city of Gondolin was the first story Tolkien wrote set in what would become Middle Earth. Founded by the elvish king Turgon, Gondolin was hidden away by divine intervention, and stood as a symbol of opposition to Melkor’s rule over Middle Earth in the First Age.

War and conflict raged all around the kingdom of Gondolin, but the city stood untouched for centuries until it was betrayed by King Turgon’s nephew. An epic battle similar to the fall of Troy followed, with Melkor sending waves of orcs, dragons and balrogs at the city to overwhelm its defenders. Before the city fell, its heroes performed epic feats of valor, none greater than the elf captain Ecthelion, who slew the lord of all balrogs, Gothmog, in single combat. Adapted to TV, that duel alone would be worth the price of admission.

Gondolin is also notable for producing semi-magical swords, including the swords Glamdring and Orcrist, later wielded by Gandalf (used to slay another Balrog) and Frodo/Bilbo respectively. The Fall of Gondolin might work best as a limited series. And then there’s that downer of an ending to consider. Survivors fled the city, though, including Tuor, ancestor to the kings of Númenor. So it could end on a note of hope.

The War of the Last Alliance

At the conclusion of the Second Age, Sauron, in full possession of the One Ring, begun to amass a great host in Mordor, enough to threaten all of Middle Earth. Recognizing this threat, the high king of the elves, Gil-galad, allied with Elendil, king of Gondor and Arnor. We saw the climax of this alliance in the opening moments of The Fellowship of the Ring, when Sauron was defeated and the One Ring was claimed by Isilidur, Elendil’s son. However, Tolkien’s take on these events is more complex, and worth exploring.

Onscreen, we saw the final battle, but Tolkien details a decade’s worth of preparation and fights that involved literally all of the living things in Middle Earth, right down to the birds. Apart from the elves, who were uniformly allied against Sauron, different members of other races took sides, which means that some men, dwarves and even hobbits fought under Sauron’s banner. Amazon’s could show us the battles on one hand, and the shifting alliances on the other 

Ultimately the series would conclude with an epic duel involving the two kings, Gil-galad and Elendil, defeating Sauron before perishing themselves. Between the pitched action and sprawling narrative, The War of the Last Alliance could be Amazon’s best shot at replicating the success of Game of Thrones.

After the Ring

In a world full of prequels and re-imaginings, a sequel might be just what the doctor ordered. We got a verrrry long glimpse of what went on in Middle Earth post-Lord of the Rings at the end of Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, but it was only a small portion of the material Tolkien wrote. Trouble is, most of what Tolkien wrote was rather boring. Aragron spends much of his time reordering Middle Earth in a woefully peaceful fashion. That means Amazon is going will need to get creative.

Tolkien had one idea in mind. Tolkien’s post Lord of the Rings-conflict concerns a cult of humans who worship orcs hundreds of years after Frodo’s victory. Tolkien abandoned the idea, but Amazon could easily pick it up as a horror series in the vein of recent hits such as The Terror.

Like some of our comedic suggestions, this series wouldn’t be what most are expecting. A change of pace might initially be met with skepticism, but a horror show could provide a fun twist. The series could follow a hero investigating the cult as it practices human sacrifice. The lead character is never sure who to trust, leading to a tense, exciting show.

Next: George R.R. Martin strikes deal with Warner Bros. to adapt “The Ice Dragon” as an animated film

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