Amazon Paid A Reported $250 Million For Rights To ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Prequel Series

Reports that Amazon was keenly pursuing a series adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings — with the uncharacteristic assistance of CEO Jeff Bezos — have proven true.

The e-tailer and content giant announced today that it will adapt J.R.R. Tolkien’s acclaimed fantasy novels into a multi-season television production that is set before The Fellowship Of The Ring — the first novel in Tolkien’s trilogy. The forthcoming series will be produced by Amazon Studios, The Tolkien Estate, book publisher HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema — the division of Warner Bros. that produced the celebrated film trilogy, which premiered in the early aughts and went on to cinch 17 Academy Awards. Deadline reports that Amazon paid $250 million just for the television rights to the franchise.

In addition to exploring new storylines based on Tolkien’s pre-Fellowship writings, the deal also includes a potential spin-off series — though no additional details about that project have been unveiled. It is also unknown whether Peter Jackson

, the director of the films, or original cast members like Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, and Liv Tyler will be involved in the series reboot.

“The Lord Of The Rings is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen,” Sharon Tal Yguado, Amazon Studios’ newly-appointed head of scripted series, said in a statement. “We are honored to be working…on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking The Lord Of The Rings fans on a new epic journey in Middle Earth.”

Adds Tolkien Estate rep and HarperCollins exec Matt Galsor: “Sharon and the team at Amazon Studios have exceptional ideas to bring to the screen previously unexplored stories based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s original writings.”