Ever since Amazon Prime announced they would be reimagining the classic Tolkien world of The Lord of the Rings, very little news has emerged, even with filming underway.
However, some die-hard fans have discovered there might be the potential of nudity in the upcoming series and immediately started a petition to show Amazon that that’s not what dedicated fans want to see.
As yet, no footage has been released of the upcoming adaptation of the J. R. R. Tolkien classic series, but there have been rumors swirling for a while now that Amazon might be adding some racy content to the TV show.
As Movie Web points out, these rumors started cropping up last year after reports of “intimacy coaches” being hired. It was also rumored that actors joining the cast had been asked if they were “comfortable with nude scenes.”
Since then, many fans are concerned at the path that Amazon is taking with The Lord of The Rings.
J. R. R. Tolkien was a devout Catholic
According to the petition, which was shared on Change.org, the main reason behind fans wanting a lack of nudity in the upcoming series comes down to the fact that Tolkien was a devout Catholic. It is of their opinion that the author would not want to see any gratuitous scenes in the TV show merely for the sake of ratings.
“Tolkien’s work is truly wholesome and packed with incredible Christian symbolism,” the petition read.
“He was a devout Catholic, and his memory does not need to be stained with gratuitous nudity or even nudity in the slightest. Tolkien’s creations have always been mostly FAMILY friendly…KEEP IT THAT WAY.”
Since the petition was started, more than 45,800 people have signed.
However, considering how far into filming Amazon is on this project, it seems unlikely that they will make any great changes based on a petition. Of course, there is no official confirmation that nudity will be involved anyway, so this hubbub might all be for nothing.
The Lord of the Rings synopsis
The news may be slightly sketchy on what viewers can expect to see in the upcoming series. However, at the start of the year, Amazon did release the following lengthy synopsis for The Lord of the Rings, according to Variety.
“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.”
The Lord of the Rings will premiere on Amazon. As of yet, no release date has been set.