When “The Lord of the Rings” first became a blockbuster franchise with Peter Jackson’s filmed adaptation, it was seen as a monumental achievement in both storytelling and craft. Jackson’s combination of cutting-edge CGI and a flair for classical fantasy transformed J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels into an epic trilogy that ultimately grossed $2.92 billion worldwide off a combined budget of roughly $281 million.
But that scale sounds like peanuts compared to the current project underway at Amazon Studios, where a new television series based on the novels is underway for a reported $1 billion. Elijah Wood, who catapulted to fame as beloved Hobbit Frodo Baggins, can’t quite process that figure.
“That’s crazy to me,” the actor said in a recent interview, pointing out that the success of the original films likely set the stage for Amazon’s costly endeavor, which includes the $250 million it spent to acquire the rights. “That wouldn’t have happened back then because the Tolkien estate didn’t know what they had as much as they do now,” Wood said. “It’s all a product of the world they live in. They know now what they have, they know how lucrative it is.”
Source: Indiewire
