Lord of the Rings TV series in the works from Amazon

Middle Earth fans rejoice! Amazon Studios have announced a Lord of the Rings TV show is set for production. As reported by Variety, the streaming service revealed they are developing a series based on the world of JRR Tolkien’s fantasy and will explore new storylines preceding The Fellowship of the Ring.

The news doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, given that Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy combined with his three Hobbit movies grossed close to $6 billion. In the age of Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Star Wars expanded universe, it was only a matter of time before we returned to the cash cow that is Middle Earth.

“The Lord of the Rings is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen,” Sharon Tal Yguado, head of scripted series for Amazon Studios, told Variety. “We are honoured to be working with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking The Lord of the Rings fans on a new epic journey in Middle Earth.”

Amazon’s deal with Tolkien’s estate also allows for additional spin-offs. “Sharon and the team at Amazon Studios have exceptional ideas to bring to the screen previously unexplored stories based on JRR Tolkien’s original writings,” said Matt Galsor, a representative for the Tolkien Estate.

The success of this return to Middle Earth will come down to the creative team Amazon assembles for the new series. No writers, directors or showrunners have been announced so far, but it will be interesting to see who the studio chooses to develop the beloved book series.