LOTR TV adaptation in talks

Warner Bros. Television and the estate of JRR Tolkien are in talks with Amazon Studios to develop a series based on the late author's “The Lord of the Rings” novels. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is said by sources with knowledge of the situation to be personally involved in the negotiations, which are still in very early stages. No deal has been set, reports Variety.

The studio and the Tolkien estate have been shopping a series based on the classic fantasy novels and their assortment of hobbits, wizards, and warriors, sparking a competitive situation from which Amazon has emerged as the frontrunner. Representatives for Amazon and Warner Bros. declined to comment.

The pursuit of “The Lord of the Rings” is in line with a new programming mandate dictated this year by Bezos, who, months before his predecessor Price departed, ordered him to shift Amazon Studios away from niche, naturalistic series such as “Transparent” and “Mozart in the Jungle” and toward large-scale genre programming with potential for broad international appeal.