New Lord of the Rings movies have been announced and fans are speculating what they might be about. While many wish for the return of popular characters such as Aragorn, Gandalf or Legolas, the film crew should distance themselves as much as possible from Peter Jackson’s work and focus on a different story from Middle-earth. You can read here what other story that is and why it is much better suited for a film adaptation.
Leave Aragorn, Frodo & Co. untouched!
Fans are currently speculating what the new films will be about. Rumor has it that there will be prequels telling the story of young Aragorn. I wouldn’t consider that wise: with immediate prequels of this nature, there’s always a risk that these plotholes and other inconsistencies within the story will cause elements from the original films to no longer make sense. In the worst case, this would damage these original works.
Warner Bros.
Aragorn soon in young?
Furthermore, the role would have to be re-cast for better or worse, which would only do the new actor a limited favour. The comparison with the “original”, i.e. Viggo Mortensen, would be too big. Refer to the Star Wars spin-off Solo: A Star Wars Story, in which Alden Ehrenreich portrays the young Han Solo. Comparison to the iconic Harrison Ford was inevitable. Ehrenreich could only lose, although he did a good job. The same could happen to a “young Aragorn”.
Another problem would be the long shadow of the Peter Jackson trilogy, ie The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. This is considered a cinematic masterpiece and is as popular today as ever. If you shot a film with a very close theme and timing, you would never escape the great role model. Even the Amazon series The Rings of Power, which took place thousands of years ago, is repeatedly juxtaposed with the films, with the fan base on social networks not exactly shining with leniency. The better way would be to stray as far as possible from the original Jackson trilogy. Instead, you should devote yourself to one of the many other great stories from Middle-earth.
Middle-earth has so much more to offer
JRR Tolkien created an extensive world, with a complex mythology, diverse races and languages, with a deep and varied lore. The plot embodied in the Lord of the Rings books covers only a fraction of what Tolkien built up over decades. It would therefore be appropriate to tell something in the upcoming films that fans have not yet seen on screen.
Unlike a remake or direct prequels/sequels that risk undermining the legacy of the original, new stories would contribute more to overall world building and thereby even enhance other works in the same universe. Finding out more about the different places and peoples offers great added value in itself. New storylines also provide room for creativity and ideas. It would be nice if they didn’t just rely on cheap fan service, but instead captured stories with their own identity on the screen. Middle-earth has much more to offer than what we all already know. A story would be perfect for a film adaptation…
The Perfect Story: Beren and Lúthien
A tale popular with Tolkien fans is the tale of Beren and Lúthien. It’s about, without wanting to reveal too much, about the Love between the mortal human Beren and the immortal elf woman Lúthien and the tragic fate of the two. It is considered one of Tolkien’s most personal stories, originating in World War I. In it, Tolkien processed his relationship and love for his wife Edith and the terror of being separated from her. In addition to their real names, the names “Beren” and “Lúthien” were later engraved on their tombstones.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – Trailer (German) HD
The plot follows a clear three-act structure and an easy-to-understand dramaturgical arc. Tolkien was also inspired by Greek mythology. Thus the story of Beren and Lúthien shows parallels to the twelve exploits of Heracles, Jason and the Golden Fleece, and Orpheus and Eurydice. All timeless myths that still work perfectly today. Still, Tolkien put his own spin on these inspirations. Also, since it is a more intimate and smaller narrative, a single film might suffice for an adequate adaptation. There is no need for another big trilogy about the imminent end of the world. It’s just not that kind of a story – fortunately.
For Lord of the Rings fans, the legend of Beren and Lúthien is likely to have special meaning, as it is portrayed in the Peter Jackson films through the Relationship between Aragorn and Arwen is mirrored. It’s just that Beren and Lúthien are the original and their relationship is given the space that Aragorn and Arwen didn’t have in the films. The tragedy between the two is repeated in both the Lord of the Rings books and The Hobbit. In the film adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn also wistfully tells Frodo about the two lovers, reflecting on his own relationship with Arwen. So for fans of the books and the movies, this wouldn’t be entirely alien.
Of course, the story also features orcs, trolls, a dark ruler and even a very powerful werewolf. Oh yes, a huge and rather badass dog as Beren and Lúthien’s faithful companion, who spanks the bad guys properly, is also at the start. Action is certainly not neglected in this adventure.
The Lord of the Rings must not fall victim to formulaic franchise thinking
When new “Lord of the Rings” movies were announced, I had to swallow. I got Horror imaginations from the disaster of the Star Wars sequels and just didn’t want to see the already existing films that I love so tainted. I still think a remake is completely superfluous, since the originals are only 20 years old and have lost none of their impact. After my initial shock, I then saw again the potential that could be in new Middle-earth films.
Warner Bros.
Arwen and Aragorn
The world created by Tolkien is huge, the stories in it varied. There is so much great material that I would love to see made into a film. The Tragedy of Beren and Lúthien is at the top of my list. With such other stories, which have little to do with the well-known book/film trilogy, the wonderful world building that Tolkien is famous for could be further expanded and presented to a new audience. Tolkien’s ideas deserve to be captured in their creative breadth and implemented in respectful films.
Such original approaches deserve a chance to attract new fans and give the fantasy genre its own push. Its magic, after all, is in the imagination and creativity, not formulaic franchise thinking. I therefore hope that Peter Jackson’s masterpieces will remain untouched, that the well-known characters will be left alone and that the many other stories of Middle-earth will be devoted to them instead. Because these are great and deserve great movie adaptations.