Tolkien's Middle-earth Rights Explained
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- čas přidán 17. 05. 2024
- Attempting to untangle the web of Tolkien's Middle-earth rights! Hopefully this will help you see where The Tolkien Estate, Embracer Group, Middle-earth Enterprises, Warner Brothers, Amazon, New Line Cinema, and dozens of other businesses fit!
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What projects to YOU want to see? And who would need to be involved? I'll go first - a LOTR theme park based on the PJ films, requiring Middle-earth Enterprises (Embracer) and Warner Bros!
I want a remake of the PlayStation LOTR games. Return of the King was especially good.
NONE. Leave Tolkien's creation alone. Anything made that wasn't Tolkein, has not been anywhere near as good as Tolkein. It's all just a huge greedy money grab. Anyone watching this should just stick to the books.
I want Peter Jackson has creative director of everything and whatever he wants to do.
An animated telling of BEREN AND LUTHIEN.
Or anything showing/telling "Finrod and Ardaneth" (probably got her name wrong--but methinks that is the BEST of Tolkien's writings about Middle Earth).
Open-world RPG, PJ universe. Basically the cancelled White Council game.
A "Children of Hurin" adaptation would be perfect! Tragedy, action, plot twist, heroism.
From this point forward, the Tolkien Estate should require anyone interested in purchasing rights to pass an intelligence test, and then be questioned by a panel of Tolkien scholars.
Honestly the smart people will just wait til copyright expiration anyway. Even planning and outlining a project up until the day and then finishing it off and releasing it that very year.
@@evieblue959 Unfortunately _LOTR_ and _The Silmarillion_ have different expiration dates. I'll probably live to see _The Hobbit_ enter the public domain, but not the latter 2.
I would happily become a Tolkien scholar for just such purposes.
@@Theomite Even when The Hobbit *does* enter the public domain, it will be the earlier version with the original Gollum chapter and some other minor quirks (mention of gnomes, etc).
@@curtthegamer934 Hey, a win is a win.
I am so happy you made this video. Alot of ppl are still confused as to what can and cannot be used from the books. Again, thank you! ❤
Now THIS is a complicated lore video I need to learn more about.
Right?!
Copyright law and IP rights will always be more convoluted and complicated than anything that comes out of the Silmarillion. I think what really hit home for me how messy and stupid the whole thing is when there was a stink just because the two freaking words “Blue Wizards” was mentioned in the first Hobbit movie.
It's for the better if the Silmarillion stays away from Hollywood in this dark time.
uhh too late wtf lol??? @@valentinkambushev4968
Rings of Power is trash, and the more it stinks up the space, the better@@valentinkambushev4968
@@valentinkambushev4968 Yeah right. The dark time of Dune: a stellar adaptation of the only books that even approach Tolkien's in complexity?
@@ricobarth no, the dark time of "strong" "female" characters, representation where it doesn't belong, and uncontrollable, emotionless milking of beloved franchises.
This is incredibly complicated, but I'm hoping it will somehow lead to a LOTR theme park. That would be absolutely amazing!
Anything from the 1st age would be glorious. Also I’d love to see Tar-Aldarions story as well, love that one.
i just want a new battle for middle earth game. best rts ever
Lets hope Embracer make it. :D
I wish that EA would just make an agreement with the rights owners to release the games on Steam.
EA gives them 10% of sales or something. EA then just releases the games on Steam. It'd cost them nothing and make them tens of millions.
If it's then really successful, maybe they can then discuss a sequel and remake/remaster.
I wouldn't mind a new one, but I'd _love_ BFME2 to get a definitive edition and official release on modern platforms. Today the _only_ way to get the game is piracy, and that sucks.
Surprisingly, despite this, the game still has a strong community, with a total overhaul mod _Age of the Ring_ being released just last year, expanding the game to 11 factions including separate Gondor and Rohan factions and separate Lothlórien, Rivendell, and the Woodland Realm.
And entirely separately from Age of the Ring, there's another group ambitiously attempting to recreate BFME2 from scratch, called Battle for Middle Earth Reforged. Their development seems excruciatingly slow though.
I would be happy if they did similar to Battlefront Classic Collection.
I love the fact that The Tolkien Estate, after all these years is still continuing to do their best to tell the actual story.
Middle Earth stories deserve to be unfold on big secreens, so love to see movies. And thank you so much telling us about 3 movies are being planned by WB, love to hear more about those projects
"you can't get great adaptions if you don't have any adaptations being made" I agree 💯 my friend
Yes, that is true. But you also cannot get bad adaptations if none are allowed. 😌 Sacrificing possible good adaptations to prevent any bad ones seems like a valid approach to protect such a beautiful world. It would then come down to your own imagination directly from book descriptions and everyone would make their own perfect adaptation. 🥰
@@jaimy_games "20 years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did..." Mark Twain
@@patricklacey4946 Sorry 😶🌫 that's not how my brain works. 🤷♀
EA's LOTR games would need a collaboration between 3 parties to be re-released. EA as developers, WB as owners of PJ's movie rights and Embracer as current ME enterprises owner.
I want this so much!
Or a new tripple AAA game where you play through the Trilogy as any character you wish.
Is there any sign that something like this in the works?
A shame. The two EA hack n slash games are so much fun.
To my understanding it would ONLY need EA and ME not WB.
GOD, I want Battle for Middle Earth remastered so bad!!
I know, I am just one of the over 1M subscribers that you have, but i want to thank you for your passion in making videos on the Lord of the Rings world created by the beloved J R R Tolkien. I want to thank you because a decade ago, I began the journey of writing my own books. In 2 years I wrote the first draft of my first book. Over the next 6 years, I edited and made 3 other drafts, improving my story, but for 2 long years my book sat collecting digital dust for I had no motivation to continue the editing process. Life was getting harder as I grew older. I found your channel and dove deep into your passion of LOTR, of which I grew up reading and watching the movies. Your videos have inspired me to pick back up the pen and continue editing. I know it may sound strange, but thank you for helping me get over my writer's block and back to my own passion of creating my stories. and I love your videos!
I’m a massive movie enjoyer but with Tolkien people like you have taught me to be content with the source material
It should also be noted the in the USA, Ace publishing company sold paperbacks of the Hobbit and LOTR without Tolkien's permission or payment because the UK/USA copywrite laws were not in sync. He signed an official agreement with Ballantine Books eventually.
The UK also has things enter public domain something like 15 years earlier than the US too. So we may have some interesting times in a couple of decades.
I had an unusual schedule this week and so yesterday I thought it was Saturday… I kept waiting for your video to drop and by late afternoon I began to worry if you were ok or changing up things with the channel.
Imagine my clarity and relief today when this video dropped! So, what I guess I’m saying is:
Thank you for your consistent and quality work! It makes a difference in how my week goes!
I would like to see an operatic adaptation, if for no other reason than to hear Galadriel’s speech to Frodo “Instead of a dark lord, you would set up a queen, beautiful and terrible…” as a ravishingly gorgeous aria.
Think that Tolkien s work was already inspired by Wagner s opera (Niebelung by example)
@@quentinducerf3730I read somewhere that he did not like the Ring of the Nibelungs opera at all (probably because Hitler liked it too but that's probably a stretch). Everything in Middle Earth that parallels the opera probably comes from the Norse sagas instead which Wagner also used as source material
I really want a film-adaptation of Children of Hurin so Im really hoping the Tolkien-Estate greenlights it one day. Other than that, Beren and Luthien would be nice to see on the big screen, as well as the Fall of Numenòr.
I would love to see the rise and fall of Gondolin - THAT was the pinnacle, I think, of the Noldaran time in Middle Earth... though it would be cool to see Doriath with Melian and Elu Thingol and then LUTHIEN!! That whole story on the big screen would be a dream come true!! (If done well). Thanks for explaining all that stuff about the rights. I really don't care who owns them... I just want them to get busy giving us adaptations for the screen ASAP!!
I also wouls love to see Turin Turambar brought to life on screen. The Children of Hurin is my favorite Tolkien book and Turin is my favorite Tolkien character. I hope someone can convince to Estate to make it happen.
All I know is that there is more Middle-earth content arriving! That is all i want for the next 80 years!
Exactly!
I for one wouldn’t mind one bit a film set in the 4th age with King Elesar and King Eomer waging their campaigns against the men of the east. I’d even say the actors now are a perfect age for it.
That's a good idea for Embracer Group/Warner Bros/New Line!
This was more interesting than I thought, I like what you said about adaptations. It'd be great to see a book about the fourth age and how middle earth started rebuilding.
To me something involving the years of the trees into the first age. Namely based around all the bad things about Melkor / Morgoth. Like stealing the Silmaril's, destroying the trees, Battle with Fingolfiin. Both TV and film would have to do time jumps but we have seen it happen successfully. An adaptation of the Valar to see what they could look like would be great. The Silmarillion, Unfinished tales, The History of ME are the main ones I would consider but these are the Tolkien estate which is less likely to happen.
I just finished watching the The Hobbit Appendices last night. I think I've watched the appendices for LoTR and The Hobbit more times then I've watched the movies. I was just googling this last night. Thank you so much for the info.
As a fan of Tolkien who came to his work through Jackson’s films I appreciate when there is continuity with the design and look of the worlds including props. I’ve been reading his works consistently the last 4 years or so and have such an appreciation for his work. I agree with you Matt, if no adaptions are made, we’ll never have a chance for something good.
Would love to see you do a deep dive into the Orcs, their society and culture, both under and outside the control of the Dark Lords, and possible theories for how they endured or died off following the destruction of the One Ring.
Shagrat narrating would be awesome though.
Interesting all the moving pieces that go into rights and distribution.
It is interesting that you mentioned that during your interview with Philippa Boyens where she mentioned other types of dragons that you thought of Glaurung. While I would love to see an adaptation of Children of Hurin probably more than any other ME tale, the first thought I had while watching the interview was Scatha, since that relates directly to the lineage of the War of the North.
"War of the Rohirrim", rather.
Thanks for untangling and clarifying these rights. In terms of drama adaptations, definitely the Children of Hurin and Fall of Gondolin.
Honestly I think the Children of Hurin would make as a great show showcasing a unique Tolkien story to audiences.
-Lots of action
-Tons of intrigue
-A dark but still a hopeful story.
My dream adaptation would be a series covering the whole of the story from the creation of the world to the end of the Third Age, but Mythgard Institute's Silmarillion Film Project is probably the closest I'll ever get to seeing it happen in my lifetime.
I think a Tom Bombadill children’s cartoon would be a good adaptation.
Not even half way through but thank you. There is so much all over the place when you try look it up & understanding it so this is really helpful & appreciated.
I'd love to see "Beren and Luthien," "The Children of Hurin," "The Fall of Gondor" and "The Fall of Nemenor" put to film versions, which I thought a few were in talks, right now? That would be done by the Tolkien Estate and I'd have to go back and see which Movie &/or Production Co., would be be the licensed party to make it. However, I thought Christopher Tolkien/the Tolkien Estate could almost pick which company, regarding the books to movies, I listed. Your idea of a theme park? Phenomenal! I'd be one of the first, with my brother-in-law, to get tickets!👍
The irony of Tolkien writing about books with many different lesser rings and one ring to rule them all. Then his rights get divided up into lesser groups and then one production company to rule them all. Brilliant.
I'd love to see Silmarillion as an anthology series. Depending on which story is being told, you'd have 2 or 3 feature length episodes per story. It would be hugely expensive to make of course though I don't see why it couldn't be done in animation.
A version of the Second Age that isn't truncated the way Rings Of Power is would be great too, perhaps in a similar anthology format with the human cast changing between centuries.
You keep raising the bar, Matt. Amazing idea for a video. Also love you co-hosting on the PPP. Please do come back!
Rings of Power was a great start to a show, I can not wait for many more seasons to come
I've long wanted to see a great series adapting The Silmarillion. Feels like the next appropriate step after (or in the middle of) adapting the Second Age material with Rings of Power.
This was a well put together and helpful video. Thanks Matt 🧝♂️
Middle-Earth is big enough for different adaptations.
If done well and not for money only which some adaptations seem to be (rop)
pretty excited for the new anime coming out, think it's a great avenue for the series.
I can't agree with you, because I came into the Legendarium via the LotR film trilogy. I haven't watch the movies in ages, yet I have bought and read much of the core books and HoME publications.
My point is that anything that shows Arda in a Tolkienian way can convince viewers to start reading the books, and once they read the books they will be hooked.😁
Excellent video - thank you for this!
So the only thing I think you missed is that some TV rights were sold off by JRR. I believe a TV adaptation could be made without the Estate, but not without Embracer, if it consisted of eight or fewer episodes (basically a miniseries). I got this from an article back before the Rings of Power aired.
A great and much needed video. Thank you.
It's amazing that in just 4 years you reached such a huge amount of subscribers
This video was very much needed, thanks for the explanation!
Great video on this really complex topic
thank you so much for making this video- it really helps narrow down who owns what and gives ideas as to what could come in the future. 🤔
Another amazing video, as always. Thanks for everything you do, Nerd of the Rings!
One question I've always had watching your videos: Where does your background music come from? It's always fantastic and suits your videos perfectly.
We do NOT need a Children of Hurin adaptation, the world is tragic enough and I feel like GOT gave us enough of… all of that. Beren and Luthien, please!
Or Tuor and Idril Celebrindal.😁🙏👍
Yes please!!
Yessss
Such a great video! Thanks for diving into the the rights aspect of Middle-earth. Next, I'd love to see you breakdown the Council of Elrond. 👍
Thanks! Nice explanation!
You explained this so simply yet it was still so hard to understand. I appreciate the breakdown.
I'd love a Beren and Luhtien movie. Tkanks for this video, it helped me understand the subject :)
For a game I’d love a Hobbiton farm simulator for cozy gamers. And nothing would be better than an animated series for Oromë, that story has massive potential for an insane animated adaptation.
You're literally getting that with Tales of the Shire.
Woa, first thanks for ur awesome vids. I personally think the first age would be epicccc to adapt. Tolkien estate needs to distribute like you said, the silmarillian has too much content!
Thank you so much for the great summation. The copyright side is so often missed out in conversation.
Great video as a Lawyer and Fan everything makes so much sense now.
I'd love to see an adaptation of the friendship between Beleg and Turin.
Thanks for the video!
Thank you for the amazing dive into who owns what. I love it
Angmar deserves its own video, I love this place
Great video 👏 I didn't know about this 👌 I'd love to see a TV series about the Silmarillion 😁
That moment when you realize, that the 3rd eagle in the scene was for gollum...
Bruh.
I'd love to see a video on how Tolkien influenced Dungeons and Dragons and the genre of fantasy as a whole
I would love to see more of Shadows series, the nemesis system and collecting Orcs in this game is so good.
Thanks for the detailed explanation. I think for me, a really beautifully crafted single live action film adapting the story of Beren and Luthien would be so exciting. There would be a film of all the great story elements of romance, drama, action, and horror. To me, it is the greatest story ever told. So needless to say, expectations would be high indeed. I hope I live long enough to see it happen!
Farmer Giles and Fall of Gondolin would be great to see.
Honestly I would love to see the war of wrath or at least have a film adaptation of the Journey of Fingolfin even if it's abridged or a trilogy it would be cool to see Fingolfins humility and growth throughout the saga and how his cooler head than Feanor and his patience with his brother led him to pave the way of elves to a golden age and the ending of his final ride to Angband would be immensely epic.
Great info, thank you
Per your last question: I just want them to make the Battle for Middle-Earth able to be purchased on GoG or something. I know the first game is pretty easy to still get access to, but BFME2 is the one I really want to play again, and it's very tricky to get to.
The war with The Witch King of Angmar would be so awesome.
A 5 season series based on Beren and Luthien. S1 is backstory. S2 goes to Thingol demanding the Silmaril. S3 ends with Luthien saving Beren from Sauron. S4 is claiming the Silmaril and deaths, and S5 is their return and Dior taking the throne.
I just want to see a full 5+ film adaptation of the conflict with Morgoth from his deception in Valinor all the way to his fall at the end of the 1st age. I feel like the coolest moments, wars, elves, and monsters were in and before the 1st age.
I've always thought that the Hobbit Trilogy was the Dwarves' story, the Lord of the Rings trilogy is the story of Men-so I would really love to see the Silmarillion adapted as a trilogy as the story of the Elves. Touching on Melkor, Feanor's oath and all the stuff within.
God bless you and your work sir. ❤❤❤💙💙💙
I would love to see one of the (if not THE) greatest and most interesting character arcs in the Tolkien universe, the Wronged, the Black Sword, the Slayer of Glaurung and Master of Fate, Túrin. Hot take: It would make a great theatre play as well, something like an Ancient Greek Tragedy.
happy 400 videos 🎉
Thanks for making this clear for us)) I`m looking forward to War of rohirim and other film projects, my personal dream would have to be silmarillion in anime stile but with Tolkien spirit in it
My favorite stories are "The Children of Hurin" and "Erendis and Aldarion," but I doubt that Hollywood could do them justice.
I’m not shore Philippa aimed Glaurung when she was talking about other types of dragons. More likely Scatha the worm or the cold drakes, after she’s speaking about storys involving “precursors” of the Rohirrim, which make me think of the Éothéod.
Sure, not shore.
We still really need an open world Middle Earth game. Embracer doesn't have an obvious candidate studio in their portfolio, but with them now holding those rights, chance should be better then under WB previously.
Great to see war of the ring in there - greatest board game of all time
I have never seen anything close to this review (granted, I haven’t looked!). One of the big things I was glad to hear is that the Tolkien family still holds substantial right given the paltry sum Tolkien received from UA in 1969. It’s always difficult to judge the worth of a product from decades ago in today’s context. The TV rights still held by the family ended up being something that may have been hard to predict in the 60s but ultimately set the stage for their largest licensing thus far.
Part of me wants there to be a lord of the rings parody movie similar to meet the spartans, epic movie and disaster movie just to see how the fan base reacts
I would love to see the entire Silmarillion put to film or series, probably series, because it would be such a ginormous project. There are so many stories in the Silmarillion, that they could probably get at least ten seasons out of it. And how cool would it be if Peter Jackson and his crew were involved? And see all the beloved characters from his adaptations?
Thanks for taking the effort to create this overview, Nerd! ❤For years I've hoped for a remake of The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth (part one!), one of the best strategy games of all time. But with this complicated legal situation, that's probably a futile wish. 😥
Dominic Noble did a great video on the rights of the movie . The ones who held the rights originally produced a 10 minute movie just to keep the rights to the two books
The fall of Arnor in 1970s and consequently Angmar with siege of Fornost, death of the last king of Arnor and the final battle between gondor+elves+arnor's remnants vs angmar would be great. as an appendix it could also include fall of Khazad-dum and Minas-ithil
Still waiting for an open world Sandbox-RPG in the second or third age.
This makes me so sad. I hate these copyright wars.
I'd love battle for Middle Earth 3, and I think they'd need everyone on board except Amazon, unless you want to cover what they've done in the series
The thought of the children of hurin tv show is something out of a dream. middle earth's version of the mandalorian.
But much more tragic
The Knights Vault sword shop in Edinburgh sells the dagger from rings of power, and they are licensed just to let you know 👌🏼
Of the Quenta Silmarillion I'd like to see chapters 7-9: 'Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor', 'Of the Darkening of Valinor' and 'Of the Flight of the Noldor', all told as a one story. But obviously we all want to see The Children of Hurin, Beren & Luthien and The Fall of Gondolin don't we?
MERP was left out..... the first Middle Earth RPG that came out in the 1980s. They had a license and then it got yanked, indicating that the rights were not in perpetuity. And there were some video games that came out in the early 00s where the licensing is unclear.
As an aside, I'm halfway convinced that TomDaBombadil19 is Steven Colbert's account as that user seems to a Patron supporter for all LotR stuff on CZcams.