Elijah Woods has spoken out at his confusion over the name of the upcoming Amazon TV series, The Lord of the Rings. The actor, who played Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies, feels the name is not appropriate considering the setting.
In an interview with Empire, Woods points out the fact that the TV series occurs at a different point in time to what unfolds in the original The Lord of the Rings books.
“I find it bizarre that they’re calling it Lord Of The Rings as a shorthand because it’s not Lord Of The Rings! It takes place in the Second Age of Middle-earth,” Woods explained.
He then went on to fully flex his understanding of The Lord of the Rings universe.
“From what I understand, the material they are working on exists chronologically further back in history in lore of Lord Of The Rings or Middle Earth than any characters represented in Lord Of The Rings. It sounds more Silmarillion era. Not to get nerdy, but it’s the Second Age of Middle Earth.”
While the actor may have shown some confusion as to the name of the upcoming TV series, he admitted that he was more than eager to sign up, should the occasion arise.
“Look, any excuse to get to go to New Zealand to work on something, I am absolutely there,” he stated.
However, he also revealed that he would only take the part if it his addition “made sense.”
The Lord of the Rings synopsis
The One Ring, a fan site dedicated to all things relating to The Lord of the Rings, released the following synopsis for the upcoming TV series.
“Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.”
When will The Lord of the Rings premiere on Amazon?
With all the disruption caused by the current global coronavirus pandemic, it comes as no surprise that a release date has not yet been set for The Lord of the Rings.
As pointed out by Indie Wire, filming in New Zealand had only just started when the pandemic caused the closure of TV and movie productions. This series was one that was granted a border exemption by New Zealand, and it was hoped that filming would resume in September of 2020.
There were some delays but production did eventually commence in December of that year. This means that production is currently still underway and the expected 2021 release date is likely to have been delayed because of this.
The Lord of the Rings will premiere on Amazon. As of yet, no release date has been set.