'Lord of the Rings' Star Displeased With Planned TV Show; Says Tolkien 'Spinning in His Grave'
A star from the "Lord of the Rings" films from Peter Jackson expressed his displeasure over the planned TV show. John Rhys-Davies, who played the dwarf Gimli in the trilogy, ranted about the Amazon project following reports that the streaming platform will spend $250 million for the series.
Rhys-Davies did not hold back his opinion about Amazon's "Lord of the Rings" series in an interview with Den of Geek. He stated that the plan is fueled by greed for money.
"Why we quite need 'Lord of the Rings' as a TV series baffles me slightly," Rhys-Davies said. "I mean, poor Tolkien must be spinning in his grave," the actor added, in reference to author JRR Tolkien's classic work.
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Rhys-Davies also said a better project would be to hire writers to develop stories in the world of Tolkien, instead of optioning the author's estate. He pointed out that there are plenty of young writers the studio can tap to develop inspired stories.
"That's where I'd be looking and it's still a great tribute to Tolkien," he said. "It costs less to make and it would be original and fresh."
The news comes as the Tolkien estate just lost its director. Tolkien's son, Christopher, stepped down from his duties and it's a big game changer for the future of the author's legacy.
Christopher took control of the stories in his father's work. He had a say in what can and cannot be done in the movie iterations but now that he's no longer in the position, radical changes might be inevitable.
Meanwhile, other actors from the original "Lord of the Rings" films said they won't likely be involved in the series. Sean Astin, who played Samwise Gamgee, revealed he's more interested in seeing a new actor in the role.
Andy Serkis, who played Gollum/Smeagol, also stated that he doesn't think it's a good idea for him to return to "Lord of the Rings." Fresh eyes for him would be better.
