I was always OK at looking at photos or drawings and reproducing them. This was probably done by looking at a book or something and combining the different characters. Only freehand in the sense that I wasn’t tracing it, but I sure as heck was never any good at just pulling stuff out of my imagination. I loved stuff like the Star Wars Hilderbrandt poster and was always trying to emulate movie posters.
Still, I do wish I had kept up with the drawing thing. #regrets.
Now you have me wondering if that is maybe the cover of the DVD. We bought that 5-6 years ago. Now I am going to have to remember to look for it when I get home. :)
The Hobbit movie makes me remember Flight of Dragon’s fondly too. That also had some really nice music.
It’s never too late!
What in particular grabbed your interest? Seems to be the same info / speculation that we already know about?
Hmmm… seems I’m just slow on the uptake
I mean, you know, any source material as massive as LOTR arguably makes more sense as a series than as a movie. That said, when you tack together 3 very long movies, you get a lot of screentime, so Peter Jackson’s version did, in its way, adequate justice to the source material.
Where LOTR is a good fit neither for movies nor TV, in my opinion, is that its primary strength is depiction of landscape. It’s essentially a book about hiking. The characters (lifeblood of a TV series) are not that great with the exception of Gollum and maybe a couple of others. Nor is it really an action story, which is what Jackson was compelled to turn a lot of it into. (The Balrog sequence in the book takes less than a page, nor needs a jot more.)
All of which is to say, TV series, sure, why not? PJ’s version is hardly sacrosanct. But I don’t think there’s as much soapy goo to work with for a series as Martin put into Game of Thrones. They are fundamentally very different sorts of book. In Game of Thrones the world building, competent though it is, is essentially a scaffolding for the characters, whereas in LOTR it often seems to be the main point.
Agreed. Lord of the Rings lacks any of the mature themed intrigue of Game of Thrones, and trying to write such dialog and events into the story would be awkward at best.
Game of Thrones is a story about dozens of people with ambiguous morals and veiled intentions plotting, scheming and battling other people with similar morals and intentions. While there is an ultimate evil in the White Walkers, they’re mostly a catalyst throughout the series for events and character motivations that shape the larger picture of the literal game of thrones that is happening in multiple places throughout the story.
Lord of the Rings is a very clear cut story of Good vs. Evil and the struggle of the characters within that framework as they battle with self-doubt, ingrained prejudice, responsibility to the greater good and plain old fear. While not one-dimensional by any means, each character in the Lord of the Rings is meant to represent a particular struggle that readers can relate to. It is uncomplicated by design, free from the need to weave the intricate plotlines that make today’s hit TV series like Game of Thrones so popular.
I’m not sure that will make for the sort of television that Amazon hopes can dethrone Game of Thrones. I think they would be better off trying to make yet another series based on Arthurian legend, this time with less WB/CW influence and more HBO-style influence.
Maybe the Zimmer-Bradley stuff? The 2000’s TV attempt was absolutely hideous.
You will note that many of these characterizations can be applied to Asimovs Foundation series as well. A show that was supposed to be an Hbo show underway for quite a number if years now, with nothing to show for it.
HBO is notorious for having a really crowded development slate. They sign a lot of projects, but only a handful actually go into production.
Frankly, it’s amazing that GOT survived the change in leadership and the shifty original pilot.
Dang, that’s good. I’d have killed to be able to draw that well at 11.
I would have said Zelzany’s Amber Series but it was already taken.
Starship Troopers done right.
I always thought the Dragon Lance setting would be an interesting choice for TV. It’s not too far from people expectations, so world building would be easier, and the characters are interesting.
Joe Abercrombie’s ”First Law” books are what should be adapted for TV. It is known.
Indeed! Could work in the one-off books too, like The Heroes.
Though I’d also love to see a completely dark grim take on Dragonlance as well.
Malazan Book of the Fallen is the actual answer to this question, of course.
Would need a ludicrous budget though.
I look forward to HBO’s 15 season, 20 year epic series!