The Rings of Power: Aragorn instead of the Second Age – these “The Lord of the Rings” series almost existed

• Not only Amazon Prime Video wanted to produce a series about “The Lord of the Rings”.
• Netflix and HBO also presented their proposals to the Tolkien heirs.
• Netzwelt reveals which series almost existed and what Tolkien’s descendants did not like at all.

Watch “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” on Amazon Prime Video❯

Meanwhile, the first season of the “Lord of the Rings” series “The Rings of Power” is coming to an end and (almost) everyone is satisfied with the approach of summarizing the Second Age of Middle-earth in series form. But these plans were not always set in stone.

In 2017, the Tolkien heirs agreed to consider a Middle-earth series. Of course, this offer not only reached Amazon, but also competitors such as Netflix or HBO. The streaming services then considered how they would imagine such a series, but everyone was interested.

So HBO seems to have quickly lost the race when they proposed a retelling of the Third Age and thus a quasi remake of the Peter Jackson films. HBO wasn’t happy with the film adaptations, but Christopher Tolkien said HBO wanted to “eviscerate” the books.

Netflix offered the most money for the rights with 250 million US dollars and immediately proposed an entire Middle-earth universe with series, including about Gandalf and Aragorn. An insider reports that this Marvel franchise-esque plan didn’t sit well with the Tolkien heirs.

We know Amazon ended up winning the bid, but again, there were a variety of approaches. The eventual showrunners, JD Payne and Patrick McKay, flirted with the Second Age and not only convinced with their extensive knowledge of Tolkien, but also with their proposal, which they summed up in one sentence: The story from the 5-minute prologue from “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is set to be told over the course of five seasons.

However, due to Payne and McKay’s lack of experience, Amazon also approached the Russo brothers, who by then had already directed two “Captain America” ​​films. They, too, had in mind an Aragorn series set in the Third Age. Screenwriter Anthony McCarten (“Bohemian Rhapsody”) had a Shakespeare-inspired proposal, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Ultimately, however, McKay and Payne’s enthusiasm for Tolkien was decisive, and Amazon also guaranteed the Tolkien heirs a say. Incidentally, during the decision-making phase, the showrunners had to develop and present all five seasons, so fans can be sure that there is a plan for the coming seasons that has been approved by all sides.

Filming is currently underway for the second season of the Amazon series, which we shouldn’t expect until 2024. So McKay expects to be busy with Season 2 for several years. Ultimately a good sign, because Payne and McKay don’t want to rush things, but rather take the necessary time, even if Amazon and many viewers were certainly hoping for a start in the coming year.