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moreorless
Gondor
Sep 1 2015, 7:30pm
Post #1 of 25
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Another version of LOTR? what form could it take?
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Were getting closed to 14 years since the release of FOTR and it makes me wonder could we see another adaptation of LOTR in the next decade or so and if so what kind of form could it take?
Whilst Jacksons films clearly brought Tolkien his greatest popularity his works were also clearly a major presence in the mainstream before that and I think that could feed into the desire for another adaptation which the studios would only be too willing to meet.
At the most basic level I think what I'd want to see would be something with a longer form than Jacksons LOTR, not just in runtime either as an individual film has certain dramatic limits. For all the detail in the existing films there is still a good deal of material that's left unused and perhaps a few areas that could be expanded upon to give us another work that's got something unique to it.
The two possible directions there to me seem to be either a longer series of films or a TV/Net series and I think both could potentially have strengths and weaknesses. My natural feeling would be for more films because at the most basic level I think LOTR is a very cinematic work were slow build and atmosphere play key roles, not I spose impossible on TV but even in the current golden age not many series have gone as far in this direction(the odd episode of game of thrones maybe). TV would have the advantage of an even longer form, potentially say having three seasons based on a book each with 10 hour long episodes could cover a lot of ground and perhaps a slightly smaller scale to the action might help it have more individuality compared to Jacksons films.
In terms of films I think the most obvious spilt would be to cut FOTR in half which would IMHO give you a very neat divide with one film focusing on the Nazgul chase and the second on the fellowship itself. That would allow for the Nazgul in the shire to have a good deal more buildup and the escape across the Brandwine to feel like more of a highpoint before diverting into some or all or the Old Forrest/Tom/Barrows and still have a good deal of time left for the chase. Overall I think the theme an opening film like that could be Frodo's personal growth in courage, really play up the Nazgul trying to control him and his rejection of them. The second film is I think very easy to imagine, quite similar to the second half of FOTR as we got it but with a lot more detail on the journey adding things like the Warg attack and more detail to Moria.
Potentially altering how TTT and ROTK were adapted seems to offer more alternatepossibilities. You could follow the book more closely and include Shelob in TTT with a more direct Faramir although I think that does potentially lessen the amount of time you can devote to Gollum, maybe arguable that as good as he was that might help setting the films apart I spose. That would leave more time for Cirith Ugol happening during the buildup to Pelennor although perhaps too much? maybe escaping the Orc troop could happen during that.
The other shift could be to leave TTT broadly similar to Jacksons version in terms of what it covers(maybe more of the ents?) and then spilt the remaining TTT book material and ROTK into two films, The first seems quite easy to imagine, end it with Pelennor and Shelob and include book Denethor and more on Gondor generally. The second half would perhaps need some reworking to create an opening although theres a good deal to work with, Aragorn potentially having to convince Gondor to march, using the Palantir, the houses of healing, etc. The march to the black gate could maybe have a bit more happen on the way with maybe a confrontation at Minas Morgul? the big advantage would be that there could potentially be time to include the scouring in such an adaptation plus more groundwork could have been layed for it in the very first film.
When it comes to TV series one potentially interesting route could be to alternate episodes between Frodo/Sam and the rest from TTT onwards, not sure you could do this with films given the breaks involved but one week or one story and one of another could be interesting. With say 3 seasons of 10 episodes that gives you along time to cover more detail and perhaps again having a slightly smaller scale with less epic battles might produce something interestingly different.
As you can tell its been a boring day.
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QuackingTroll
Valinor
Sep 1 2015, 8:02pm
Post #2 of 25
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I'd love to see LotR conquer each medium...
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Film - PJ's movies are some of the most successful and most critically acclaimed movies of all time. Remaking it simply isn't going to replicate that same sense of success, even if the new movies are technically better. So I don't see a remake coming anytime soon.
Radio - I also consider BBC's radio adaptation the definitive audio version. Not only is it a great adaptation, but it sits with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as one of the greatest radio series ever made.
Books - Obviously, LotR is already one of the best selling books ever, but there's also a graphic novel of The Hobbit that is actually very well done, and was surprisingly successful. A LotR sequel could potentially get a lot of recognition, and I really hope that's something we see in the near future.
Television - TV is the only thing LotR has yet to attempt. Technically Rankin/Bass animations were TV, but they weren't a series, and unlike the other mediums, they weren't well received. If there's definitely no way of getting hold of the Silmarillion, then a TV series of The Hobbit or LotR is the logical next step - and something I'd be really excited to see.
(This post was edited by QuackingTroll on Sep 1 2015, 8:03pm)
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 1 2015, 8:03pm
Post #3 of 25
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There were over twenty years between Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings (1978) and Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the King (2001). Let's not be hasty. It could easily be another ten years or more before someone attempts a new adaptation. And we still have the possibility of some sort of spin-off or follow-up to the existing movies.
As for mediums: I do think that the NPR radio series has some merit as well; it is a bit more complete, not having cut out Tom Bombadil and the Barrow-downs. A long-form television project could be interesting, but don't forget that we also have web-series now. Eclipse Comics is long gone, but maybe another company such as IDW could step-up and publish a series of LotR graphic novels or g.n. collections.
"At the end of the journey, all men think that their youth was Arcadia..." - Phantom F. Harlock
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Sep 1 2015, 8:08pm)
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QuackingTroll
Valinor
Sep 1 2015, 8:18pm
Post #4 of 25
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The only spin-off I think I'd be interested in.
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I don't much like the idea of a spin-off film or TV series, mainly because I feel the story is now complete.
But I wouldn't mind if it was an animated kids' show. I grew up in the 90's where lots of successful movies had spin-off cartoons, and many were very popular. I remember shows like Ghostbusters, Jumanji and Beetlejuice and all the Disney spin-off shows; among many, many others (I think even Robocop had one?). I know I'd definitely watch a few episodes of The Animated Adventures of Legolas and Strider, or even the Lego Adventures...
I personally couldn't stand the NPR series, I haven't heard all of it because it mostly annoyed me. I might have to give it a second try? But the BBC version is (at least in the UK) regarded as incredibly successful. As for web-series, I think you'd need a HBO budget for something like LotR. But nothing's impossible!
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 1 2015, 8:24pm
Post #5 of 25
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I am still intrigued by the idea of a movie (or movies) telling Aragorn's backstory based on Tolkien's Appendices. Actually, that might also work as a high-end animated series.
One thing that I am a little surprised hasn't been attempted is a direct-to-video animated movie acting as a prequel or set-up for one of the Middle-earth video games. I could have easily imagined one for Shadow of Mordor. We've seen a good number of examples of this type of thing since The Animatrix animated movie.
"At the end of the journey, all men think that their youth was Arcadia..." - Phantom F. Harlock
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Sep 1 2015, 8:29pm)
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QuackingTroll
Valinor
Sep 1 2015, 8:28pm
Post #6 of 25
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There have been a few good LotR video games (I actually collect them) not least Shadow of Mordor, which was hugely successful, and probably the only one I haven't played yet 
But there hasn't been a definitive adaptation of the main story. There was one, fairly poor, attempt from Surreal Software. Which only got as far as Fellowship of the Ring. But as video games are getting more and more sophisticated, I'm sure the right developer could make something really special with LotR.
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droidsocket
Lorien
Sep 1 2015, 10:58pm
Post #7 of 25
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I would love a Laika film of the hobbit and maybe even Lotr. There style would be amazing in adapting the hobbit.
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 1 2015, 11:07pm
Post #8 of 25
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I would love a Laika film of the hobbit and maybe even Lotr.
I'm partial to Studio Ghibli for such a film, myself. But a stop-motion attempt could be interesting too.
"At the end of the journey, all men think that their youth was Arcadia..." - Phantom F. Harlock
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moreorless
Gondor
Sep 2 2015, 7:21am
Post #9 of 25
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Could potentially work I'd agree, I could also imaginen an Alan Lee style
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I would love a Laika film of the hobbit and maybe even Lotr. I'm partial to Studio Ghibli for such a film, myself. But a stop-motion attempt could be interesting too.
Ghibli would potentially be a good fit for Tolkien I'd agree as there films do tend to have a strong sense of location although personally I think none of there other films reach the level of Miyazaki and Takahata's work and both of them seem close to retirement.
Its been mentioned before but for me the idea style for a LOTR adaptation would be something close to Alan Lee's work. Theres something about his work that really captures the soul of the story for me.
(This post was edited by moreorless on Sep 2 2015, 7:22am)
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 2 2015, 1:00pm
Post #10 of 25
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Miyazaki actually is retired (or at least semi-retired) and his son, Goro, is still perfecting his craft. Goro Miyazaki's Tales of Earthsea was a weaker entry in the Ghibli film-canon. Iso Takahata is not above experimenting with his style and he might be a very interesting choice for a director. But, as you say, he is also nearing retirement. Of the next generation of directors there, I might choose Hiroyuki Morita (The Cat Returns).
"At the end of the journey, all men think that their youth was Arcadia..." - Phantom F. Harlock
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Sep 2 2015, 1:05pm)
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QuackingTroll
Valinor
Sep 2 2015, 3:07pm
Post #11 of 25
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I like Hiromasa Yonebayashi a lot...
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Arrietty and When Marnie Was There are both up to Miyazaki's standard in my opinion.
But I just don't think anime is well suited to Lord of the Rings. I'd prefer something more traditionally British or European.
Laika is an interesting idea. I really feel like Laika have yet to reach their peak or release their "masterpiece", but I think it is coming, maybe with their next movie, because they're an undeniably talented team. Whether stop-motion is right for Middle-earth, I don't know. It does have a Britishness to it - one thinks of Nick Park - but it would be very difficult to pull off.
I always thought it'd be interesting to animate in the style of Tolkien's illustrations. Similar to how Richard Williams did A Chrismas Carol (1971). With that cross-hatch art style. I'd love to see that.
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 2 2015, 3:20pm
Post #12 of 25
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I'll admit, I was thinking more of The Hobbit than The Lord of the Rings.
"At the end of the journey, all men think that their youth was Arcadia..." - Phantom F. Harlock
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balbo biggins
Rohan
Sep 3 2015, 3:07am
Post #13 of 25
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we also need a decent adaption of the hobbit book!!!!!!
pjs hobbit is basically a prequel based on the lotr appendices, and should be taken as such, which is fine, but we havnt got a definitive adaption of the hobbit childrens book yet, id like to see a singular hobbit film with a lower budget, with an air of magical old school whimsy.
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Wasserwaldnymphe
The Shire
Sep 3 2015, 2:11pm
Post #14 of 25
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it would be interesting to see what they make out of Tolkiens sequel (that one which he abandoned). It was so intense.
What can men do against such reckless hate?
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moreorless
Gondor
Sep 3 2015, 3:07pm
Post #15 of 25
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You could argue "anime" is considerabley more suited than US animation
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Arrietty and When Marnie Was There are both up to Miyazaki's standard in my opinion.
But I just don't think anime is well suited to Lord of the Rings. I'd prefer something more traditionally British or European.
Laika is an interesting idea. I really feel like Laika have yet to reach their peak or release their "masterpiece", but I think it is coming, maybe with their next movie, because they're an undeniably talented team. Whether stop-motion is right for Middle-earth, I don't know. It does have a Britishness to it - one thinks of Nick Park - but it would be very difficult to pull off.
Its tempting to dream of something like Alan Lee's work animated in a very atmospheric fashion with an adult focus but really when was the last time Hollywood did anything like that? ironically probably Bakshi's LOTR back in the 70's.
You've had considerably more risk taking, adult focus and generally visual flair in Japanese animation in recent decades I would say. You look at something like Princess Mononoke and I think that is really not very far from LOTR at all.
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Darkstone
Immortal
Sep 3 2015, 3:16pm
Post #16 of 25
(2903 views)
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Jackson's imagining of LOTR as a nitty-gritty recreation of real history was brilliant, but I'd like to see the next version go in the opposite direction, with a more clean colorful fantastical look and feeling, like in
Zhang Yimou's House of Flying Daggers (2004), Fellini's Satyricon (1969), or Cocteau's La Belle et la Bęte (1946)..
******************************************
"We’re orcs of the Misty Mountains,
Our singing’s part of canon.
We do routines and chorus scenes
While dancing with abandon.
We killed Isildur in the Gladden,
To help Sauron bring Armageddon!"
-From "Monty Python and the One Ring"
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 3 2015, 3:39pm
Post #17 of 25
(2894 views)
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You make a good point about Princess Mononoke, but I am not convinced that Studio Ghibli would be the best choice to adapt LotR. Perhaps a different anime house with a slightly harder-edged aesthetic. I'm thinking of such studios as Madhouse, Gonzo, Studio 4°C, or Production I.G.
"At the end of the journey, all men think that their youth was Arcadia..." - Phantom F. Harlock
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moreorless
Gondor
Sep 3 2015, 5:43pm
Post #18 of 25
(2885 views)
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I don't much like the idea of a spin-off film or TV series, mainly because I feel the story is now complete.
But I wouldn't mind if it was an animated kids' show. I grew up in the 90's where lots of successful movies had spin-off cartoons, and many were very popular. I remember shows like Ghostbusters, Jumanji and Beetlejuice and all the Disney spin-off shows; among many, many others (I think even Robocop had one?). I know I'd definitely watch a few episodes of The Animated Adventures of Legolas and Strider, or even the Lego Adventures...
I personally couldn't stand the NPR series, I haven't heard all of it because it mostly annoyed me. I might have to give it a second try? But the BBC version is (at least in the UK) regarded as incredibly successful. As for web-series, I think you'd need a HBO budget for something like LotR. But nothing's impossible!
In that regard perhaps something based in the shire might work? maybe actually cover events somewhat like the scouring?
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Darkstone
Immortal
Sep 3 2015, 6:16pm
Post #19 of 25
(2881 views)
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Good old Gandalf has our backs.
We pay tons of East Road tax,
There's fried mushrooms in our slacks,
We're Imperishable Flame-y.
Ironfoot Dain-y.
Shiremaniacs!"
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"We’re orcs of the Misty Mountains,
Our singing’s part of canon.
We do routines and chorus scenes
While dancing with abandon.
We killed Isildur in the Gladden,
To help Sauron bring Armageddon!"
-From "Monty Python and the One Ring"
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 3 2015, 6:41pm
Post #20 of 25
(2872 views)
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No thanks! 
"At the end of the journey, all men think that their youth was Arcadia..." - Phantom F. Harlock
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Darkstone
Immortal
Sep 3 2015, 6:52pm
Post #21 of 25
(2871 views)
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Like "Faramir and Boromir Go To White Castle"?
******************************************
"We’re orcs of the Misty Mountains,
Our singing’s part of canon.
We do routines and chorus scenes
While dancing with abandon.
We killed Isildur in the Gladden,
To help Sauron bring Armageddon!"
-From "Monty Python and the One Ring"
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 3 2015, 7:14pm
Post #22 of 25
(2868 views)
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Legolas and Gimli: The New Adventures
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Aragorn Beyond
Middle-earth Unlimited
Son of Elessar
Lord of the Rings II -- Electric Boogaloo
Or have we wandered too far from the topic at hand?
"At the end of the journey, all men think that their youth was Arcadia..." - Phantom F. Harlock
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Sep 3 2015, 7:17pm)
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Darkstone
Immortal
Sep 3 2015, 8:42pm
Post #23 of 25
(2861 views)
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Balin's Eleven.
Gentle Beorn.
Smaug Versus Godzilla.
Or have we wandered too far from the topic at hand?
Not all those who wander are lost. (But that's the way to bet...)
******************************************
"We’re orcs of the Misty Mountains,
Our singing’s part of canon.
We do routines and chorus scenes
While dancing with abandon.
We killed Isildur in the Gladden,
To help Sauron bring Armageddon!"
-From "Monty Python and the One Ring"
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Sep 3 2015, 8:47pm
Post #24 of 25
(2859 views)
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Sex in the City of Minas Tirith
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Waiting for Radagast
Samwise's List
The Day of the Huorns
Big Trouble in Little Harad
The Planet of the Orcs
"At the end of the journey, all men think that their youth was Arcadia..." - Phantom F. Harlock
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Sep 3 2015, 8:59pm)
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moreorless
Gondor
Sep 14 2015, 3:45pm
Post #25 of 25
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I would guess osme might argue the opposite..
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Jackson's imagining of LOTR as a nitty-gritty recreation of real history was brilliant, but I'd like to see the next version go in the opposite direction, with a more clean colorful fantastical look and feeling, like in
Zhang Yimou's House of Flying Daggers (2004), Fellini's Satyricon (1969), or Cocteau's La Belle et la Bęte (1946)..
Jacksons LOTR is gritty in places BUT I would argue that in many respects it already bends towards the fantastical.
Jacksons elves with there Art Nouveau influence or the look of fortresses like Minas Tirith, Orthanc, Barad Dur and Minas Morgul for example are all rather more fantastical than my image from the books.
The issue I spose is that the "look" Tolkiens Elves is very hard to pin down. The impression I always had was of something rather more understated, a "higher" version of celtic culture perhaps a little akin to Frank Lloyd Wrights earliest houses(not his latter work like Falling Water) with the rustic and Japanese minimalism mixed together
(This post was edited by moreorless on Sep 14 2015, 3:47pm)
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