After news recently broke that the new Amazon Lord of the Rings TV show was going to cost over $500m, thanks to the Hollywood Reporter we now have even more to break down about the show.
According to the print version of the Hollywood Reporter (No online link yet available) despite not taking part in the rights negotiations between Amazon and the Tolkien Estate, Peter Jackson’s lawyer has apparently “helped start a dialogue between Jackson and Amazon.”
This will come as a great relief to many who loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy of films, as it also appears as though Amazon may use “material from the [New Line] films”, meaning that the show will now exist within the continuity of the Oscar winning classics.
Furthermore, as part of the $250m package Amazon are committed to 5 seasons of the upcoming show, and if it proves successful and popular then this will likely not be the ceiling. The show will have to do huge numbers though as the reported cost of $500m is now looking on the light side as the Hollywood Reporter state that Amazon is required to get the show into production within the next two years, and that the total cost is expected rise to more than $1 billion once casting, production and special effects are taken into consideration.
All in all it’s welcome news for Lord of the Rings fans, but only time will tell how good this show will turn out to be. Peter Jackson isn’t a lock yet, and without him you have to question how effectively the magic of the original trilogy could be captured, if this show is to take place in the same continuity.
WeAreNiche 
We really need the original cast members too, though. 😦
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