Official Show Synopsis for Amazon’s LORD OF THE RINGS Series

 This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, … . From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map…

Amazon has spent *buckets* of money on this. Telling all-new stories, rather than, say, adapting the Silmarillion, is perhaps a risky move. Their casting choices make it clear that they’re tossing out JRR Tolkiens notions that what he was creating was a mythology specifically for the English people in favor of modern sensibilities, which is another risky move. They are clearly hoping for Game Of Thrones level fandom, but a lot of it will revolve around how good the writers are since none of them will be JRR Tolkein.

Of course, if Númenor is a place in the show, then adapting *some* of the Silmarillion is in the cards. Perhaps it will show Sauron corrupting the King, the invasion of Aman and the drowning of Númenor. Which would be spiffy.