No Further Cinematic Licenses...

Beowulf03809 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 07, 2013 5:26 pm

http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2013/01/07/68174-concerning-christopher-an-essay-on-tolkiens-sons-decision-to-not-allow-further-cinematic-licensing-of-his-work/?fb_source=pubv1

SidTheSloth · **Posted:** Mon Jan 07, 2013 5:38 pm

I'm quite glad to be honest, I'd rather The silmarillion and the unfinished tales stay with my imagination. I doubt PJ could capture the true depth and scale of them.

Lord of Gondor · **Joined:** Thu Feb 23, 2012 8:30 pm **Posts:** 67

Meh its no more than I expected. If PJ really wants the Silmarillion he would have to claw it from Christopher Tolkien's cold dead hands(excuse the expression) and even then he'd have trouble. This we all knew. Any way I think I agree with Sid, I think, after the Hobbit, this must come to an end, even if the Hobbit films go down incredibly well. No franchise can last forever. The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales were always the most mythical of Tolkien's stories, perhaps because they were unfinished and at points ambiguous, and above all complex. Of course they complement the main story and give it background...but (with the Silmarillion atleast) all that would probably be messed up by PJ.

LordElrond · **Posted:** Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:29 pm

I am sad to hear this, but it was nothing less than I had expected. I love the films, but they miss out lots of detail and memorable parts of the story (especially FotR)

But this does mean that GW will never release the legendary figures of Middle Earth (Feanor etc.), and I think that's a shame.

SidTheSloth · **Posted:** Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:52 pm

I'm not even sure PJ would attempt such a story... there's just so many names that sound the same

slayeroftrolls · **Posted:** Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:59 pm

Does GW have licences for using the films and books as a basis for products, or is it just for PJ's films? The reason I am asking is because GW released miniatures for Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, Halbarad and other characters who didn't feature in the film adaptations. If the licence was for the complete works of Tolkien then we might get miniatures like Morgoth.

Beowulf03809 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 07, 2013 8:02 pm

My understanding is that GW's license was not for the film adaptation but rather the content in the Hobbit and the three LotR books, including some (but not all?) appendix.

SouthernDunedain · **Posted:** Mon Jan 07, 2013 8:21 pm

I heard it was for the hobbit, lotr and all the appendixes although the latter had to be approved case by case hence the unreleased beruthiel mini.

slayeroftrolls · **Posted:** Mon Jan 07, 2013 8:28 pm

Beowulf03809 wrote:

My understanding is that GW's license was not for the film adaptation but rather the content in the Hobbit and the three LotR books, including some (but not all?) appendix.

Okay, but if things that feature mainly in Tolkien's other works (e.g. The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales) are mentioned in the appendixes of lotr would it be legal for GW to release products of the mentioned content? Such as the the isle of numenor, Morgoth and Feanor?

Sticky Fingersss · **Joined:** Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:20 am **Posts:** 1776

oh.... what a shame....

Highlordell · **Posted:** Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:33 pm

It slightly saddens me to hear this, but based on what Tolkien originally has said, it seems for the best. Unfinished Tales would be very hard to produce in a film anyway, and to me the Silmarillion just seems on to epic a scale.
However, we'll see who's in charge of Tolkien Estate after Christopher Tolkien and his decisions may well be changed.

Erurainon the Trombonist · **Posted:** Sat Jan 12, 2013 10:46 pm

Personally, I cannot see how the Silmarillion could be made into even a long series of films - LotR mostly takes place within one year, with flashbacks to the start of the Third Age. The Silmarillion covers the entire First Age! To condense that into a single story would be incredibly difficult.
Although, the Children of Húrin could make a good TV series

Pindergorn · **Posted:** Sun Jan 13, 2013 12:57 pm

Anyone remember The Hunt for Gollum and Born of Hope? We need more of those. Independant, small scale Films made with emotional intelligence and subtlety, focussing on narrow storylines (Aragorns birth, and the death of his grandfather and father; Aragorn hunting down Gollum and encountering the Nazgul).

We've had enough of the big blockbuster, heavily commercialised action films, lets open the market up somewhat. There are plenty of short stories than can be made into Film.

mad_dan · **Posted:** Sun Jan 13, 2013 1:16 pm

I would love to see more of Tolkiens work make it to the screen. The wealth of stories that Tolkien produced was breath taking.

cryonicleech · **Joined:** Thu Jan 10, 2013 6:45 am **Posts:** 15

I'm kind of happy, in a way.

I can see where Christopher Tolkien comes from, and even though our hobby is (to only a certain degree) a form of the sort of "bastardization" he's against, I can respect his deep love of his father's writing and the significance of the works beyond the ability to make and sell merchandise.

aelfwine · **Joined:** Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:23 am **Posts:** 508

And just to confuse everything:

Saul Zaentz's license allows him to make sequels, prequels and other spinoffs.

So we could well see a GoT style TV series or something, if the price was right.

Curufinwë · **Posted:** Wed Feb 13, 2013 4:17 am

I don't have a problem with them making a GoT like series if they fix many of the stupid and unneeded alterations to the movies and they don't get Peej's wife and team to write the scripts (the people I blame for many of the dumbest changes made).

I would love to see the battle of Pelenor fields more accurate to the book (I know GoT leaves out the battles as they cost to much but seeing as the stories lack a setting for sexpositions they might have to add these to keep viewer watching). Imrahil and his knights, the boats loaded with men who couldn't make the journey with their lords to Minas Tirith, and most importantly, removal of the stupid line from Gimli about not releasing the army of the dead. Didn't they give him a line earlier about how despicable the oath breaker were for going back on their oath and then he tells Aragorn to be an oath breaker?

If done right they could make a more accurate version than what we currently have as they wouldn't have as many problems with time restraints and have the ability to develop more of the characters that got left out.

aelfwine · **Joined:** Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:23 am **Posts:** 508

Well, they wouldn't be changing the book...because there'd be no official text to change.

I'd imagine, seeing the approvals process for RPGs and whatnot that they'd be given the go-ahead to make something - anything - in the time around the Hobbit and LOTR, using the "approved list" of terms that the filmmakers were given. (When the word "maia" showed up on the list, there was much happiness to be had)

There isn't much to mess with that's official and in the text. Just some rather vague entries in Appendix B. I've seen suggestions of, say, Aragorn's younger life.

But that's probably the only route to more Middle-earth content in the non-too-distant future.

Curufinwë · **Posted:** Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:18 am

True. Of course we could always get a series revolving around the Mirkwood elves and Erebor during the war of the ring based off the appendices. The conflict among the Mirkwood elves as they desperately try to defend their homes and the men of Dale and Dwarfs of Erebor fending off the siege from the Easterlings could be interesting and is almost undefined allowing for a lot of creative freedoms.

aelfwine · **Joined:** Sat Aug 22, 2009 12:23 am **Posts:** 508

Doing such a thing would be easy.

Doing such a thing well would be trickier.

However, A Game of Thrones has created a model to follow. Reusing various set, prop and musical elements from the films would save the production a ton of cash, so there's that.

The thing doesn't have to be "dark" or "fluffy" - something with a similar mood to the Fellowship of the Ring would work. Bit of whimsy, bit of horror, bit of wonder, lot of action.

No Further Cinematic Licenses...

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