The Silmarillion Movie: Will it ever be made?

I believe that it will not be done due to a lack of commercial interest by the powers that be. The interest of the general populace would be piqued, but not in the same way the Lord of the Rings movies did. Ultimately, the budget necessary for justice to Tolkein's masterpiece would be much larger than could be gathered.
Best of Regards, Sigald

CirdanLinweilin said:

Going to have to live with it. Book purists aren't the target audience and PJ is the proverbial face ofTolkien.


I think once we accept this we can feel some sense of peace.

CL

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The problem for PJ and co is that some Tolkien purist actually own the rights (e.g. Tolkien estate) and they have made it very clear there won't be a Silmarillion movie. Maybe with the right offer they can change their mind. But i am not talking about money, the only way that I think they would agree is if they have a said in the script. Peter Jackson is a great movie director, but his story twists didn't please Tolkien's heirs, and they are the boss here.

Ricardo said:

Peter Jackson is a great movie director, but his story twists didn't please Tolkien's heirs, and they are the boss here.

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Imho, he is fantastic for action, battle scenes.
For emotional, drama sequences, he is very bad.
He is overusing tears, arguing.. makes the whole sequence looks very cheesy/cheap.
(examples: Elrond Council, scenes between Aragorn and Arwen, scenes with Frodo and Sam, scenes after Gandalf fall with Balrog.. etc).
"Where was Gondor..."?
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But all is forgiven after Rop, lol.

As for Silmarillion movies (actually series, because movies would be impossible) , I think that someone will eventually do it.
And it will do it good... maybe after series of failed attempts... maybe after 200 years from now... but we will have it.

d4rk3lf said:

Imho, he is fantastic for action, battle scenes.
For emotional, drama sequences, he is very bad.
He is overusing tears, arguing.. makes the whole sequence looks very cheesy/cheap.
(examples: Elrond Council, scenes between Aragorn and Arwen, scenes with Frodo and Sam, scenes after Gandalf fall with Balrog.. etc).
"Where was Gondor..."?
--------------
But all is forgiven after Rop, lol.

As for Silmarillion movies (actually series, because movies would be impossible) , I think that someone will eventually do it.
And it will do it good... maybe after series of failed attempts... maybe after 200 years from now... but we will have it.

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I agree. And he put too much emphasis in love stories which Tolkien really didn't seem to care too much.

There is absolutely no love stories in the Hobbit, and in LOTR, well Arwen and Aragorn, sure but most of the story is in the appendices which means Tolkien didn't think it was that important for the overall story. Eowyn and Faramir, just a few pages.

the only love story that Tolkien really put a lot of effort into is Beren and Luthien, and I shiver to think how lame PJ would make it.

Nothing I would love much to see a feature Silmarillion Movie, or miniseries, just keep Peter Jackson and Amazon out of it. I would love to have Spielberg or James Cameron direct it.

I would focus only on the Quenta Silmarillion, would leave second and third age out, as well as the Ainundale, the Valquenta and the wars between the Valar and Melkor (just a brief narrated sequence at the beginning).

It would be difficult because how epic it is, but technology has improved a lot, it's doable.

However, one of the most challenging part would be the casting. There are way too many very important characters and many of them are short lived, e.g. Feanor, Fingolfin, very few would span the whole movie and in many cases with minor roles in a big part of it (e.g. Thingol and Melian, Turgon and Idril).

I think you would have to remove characters that are not absolutely essential to the story (e.g. Gwindor, Voronwe, Daeron) and concentrate in the truly central characters.

I was going to enumerate the characters that I think absolutely need to be casted, but it would be too long.

I have decided I would only accept a Silmarillion movie if it were a Muppet adaptation in which Maedhros is the only human (Elf) actor who plays the role completely straight.

Maedhros_Nelyafinwë said:

I have decided I would only accept a Silmarillion movie if it were a Muppet adaptation in which Maedhros is the only human (Elf) actor who plays the role completely straight.

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That looks like Beaker holding the torch. I always knew he was a ticking time bomb.

Not the only time Beaker carried a torch...

CirdanLinweilin said:

Going to have to live with it. Book purists aren't the target audience and PJ is the proverbial face ofTolkien.


I think once we accept this we can feel some sense of peace.

CL

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I intend to be at peace before it happens 😄

srlotr27 said:

I agree with you. The money is always the one major factor when it comes down to high budget theatrical productions, and if there is a projection that the Silmarillion would bring in it would certainly be in the works. The matter is, finding the person to commit to bringing the writings to life. And that is why I think the demand would simply be to great as the Silmarillion seems like a very difficult book to adapt to film without royally pissing off the fans, hence my understanding and agreement with the consensus that book fans would not support him or ANY director that doesn't completely include all the details that always get left out of movie adaptations. (Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, etc.)

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sort of agree, the issue is with the Silmarillion it would be a lot tougher to please the fans because I believe most people who read and re-read the Silmarillion are hardcore fans, as opposed to LOTR or the Hobbit.

But it's not just about the money, the Tolkien Estate doesn't seem to want to do.

However, to any one potentially invested in an adaptation that opposes the fact that Peter Jackson would make the most sense as a director for a hypothetical Silmarillion film just doesn't resonate with me.

To say that anyone other director could be chosen just wouldn't sit right in my opinion given he does hold some weight of the series that fans like myself have come to love. The Amazon production of Middle Earth makes sense not have PJ because its a spin off that he might not have even been asked to be part of, or could have the ability to accept due to previous commitments. (someone fact check me if you know otherwise, it would be interesting to read up on). Quite frankly I might not even be interested in watching the Amazon series either, but that remains to be seen.

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Absolutely NO, if PJ makes it I am not watching it, after the aberration they called the Hobbit trilogy I am done with Peter Jackson. Bring Spielberg or James Cameron.

Peter Jackson is the main reason while the Tolkien Estate won't sell the rights to the Silmarillion. I heard that Christopher Tolkien was very pissed off with LOTR, I imagined if he watched the Hobbit.

The Silmarillion would be a gem of its own that would require the same attention that of which Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit received and then some if it were to be made.

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PJ is a great image creator, but a terrible story teller. I don't think he even understood the LOTR, and the Silmarillion is 1000 times more complex.

what, will we have Tauriel in a love triangle with Fingon and an orc?

Now, the weird thing is, I am writing here to support Peter Jackson due to the fact that he was ultimately the person who was chosen as director of the past films. Who is to say that if it were another director who took on the role wouldn't have done an equal or better job? We will never know, unless there is some sort of alternate universe where say Guillermo Del Toro directed it, but I hope you understand why I stand by Peter Jackson being the best person for the job.

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absolutely, James Cameron and Spielberg out of the top of my head are 100 times better than Jackson. Even Christopher Lee criticized him. There are other directors that can do well like Nolan, or Guillermo del Toro (that I think originally was going to direct the Hobbit).

I am not watching the hunt for gollum money grabbing nonsense and I won't watch the Silmarillion if Jackson is involved, but he won't. Tolkien's heirs won't budge.

Ricardo said:

what, will we have Tauriel in a love triangle with Fingon and an orc?

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UH, NO THANK YOU. She can impersonate Maedhros all she wants, but I do NOT want to see a romance between her and Fingon, or with an Orc. 😳😬

Eljorahir said:

That looks like Beaker holding the torch. I always knew he was a ticking time bomb.

Not the only time Beaker carried a torch...

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I think I'd cast Beaker as Turin in our Muppet Silmarillion. He looks appropriately neurotic and prone to misfortune!

Ricardo said:

what, will we have Tauriel in a love triangle with Fingon and an orc?

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No no, Tauriel has been hired by Morgoth and Sauron's modeling agency to impersonate Maedhros.

Maedhros_Nelyafinwë said:

I have decided I would only accept a Silmarillion movie if it were a Muppet adaptation in which Maedhros is the only human (Elf) actor who plays the role completely straight.

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This would be absolutely hilarious, and I would definitely watch it. 🤣

Maedhros_Nelyafinwë said:

I think I'd cast Beaker as Turin in our Muppet Silmarillion. He looks appropriately neurotic and prone to misfortune!

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Hehehe, all that angst and misfortune, and all we hear out of him is “meep meep meep meep!”

But then he says it with such conviction, and you really believe he’s Túrin for a moment there… until he catches fire or something. 🤣

A Silmarillion based movie is being made in the anime-style ala War of the Rohirrim, and will be a collaboration of the writing teams of both War of the Rohirrim and Rings of Power; with Andy Serkis and Liv Tyler consulting. Look it up!

Edit: I post in jest. 😅

Vardarianna said:

A Silmarillion based movie is being made in the anime-style ala War of the Rohirrim, and will be a collaboration of the writing teams of both War of the Rohirrim and Rings of Power; with Andy Serkis and Liv Tyler consulting. Look it up!

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No they won't because the Tolkien Estate would sue them.

Let's be clear, if you visit the Tolkien estate website, it says in the FAQ that there are no plans for a Silmarillion movie. They don't say it will never be but after the experience with how PJ bastardize LOTR and especially The Hobbit, I think if they ever budge they will keep a very short leash and PJ certainly won't do it.

they have been shutting down youtube channels that used AI to make Silmarillion movies. If the right proposal comes they might accept, but they are fine if the movie is never made.

Also remember that The Silmarillion was Tolkien's lifetime work, and the one he cared about the most. He only published the LOTR before because of financial considerations but he wanted the Silmarillion published more than anything. Considering JRR and Christopher Tolkien attachment to this work, I doubt their heirs will insult their memory by giving the rights to PJ. PJ had his chance and blew it.

Ricardo said:

they have been shutting down youtube channels that used AI to make Silmarillion movies

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That is unfortunate - didn't know they have been doing that, although it does make sense. For how long have they been shutting down these channels? A few years?

Given how wide and in-depth The Silmarillion really is, I doubt a movie that's both true enough to the source material and appealing enough to the audiences would eventually come into existence. Plus, the book is already a masterpiece in itself, and one of my favourite literary works.

Ricardo said:

Let's be clear, if you visit the Tolkien estate website, it says in the FAQ that there are no plans for a Silmarillion movie. They don't say it will never be but after the experience with how PJ bastardize LOTR and especially The Hobbit, I think if they ever budge they will keep a very short leash and PJ certainly won't do it.

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Have faith my friend.
All is great.
Sonner or later mankind will have great Silmarillion adaptation.
I say mankind, because it will be maybe in 100, 200 or 500 years, and me and you will maybe not be there to experience it, but it will be here.
I say adaptation, because I think only series would do it justice. Movie can not be, unless there's like 15 Silmarillion movies.

The time will come, when there will be true Tolkien fan, alone, or with some crew, that could build very fateful Silmarillion adaptation with future CGI tools.
AI is already getting crazy last 2 years, and I can't imagine what will be in 10 years.

Tolkien Estate can forbit it as much as they want, but with no effects if that series existed, because people would share it via torrent, and what else not.
It will not be available on youtube? Big deal.

Sure, meanwhile we will be getting Hollywood horrible adaptation like Rings of Power, but I see that more as a time spending laughing on it, then being annoyed. Hollywood can do whatever they want. I don't care. But I will always find good fun in it.

And let's not forget that we will always have Silmarillion book(s), that is never-ending reading material.

Áramandë Amaniel said:

That is unfortunate - didn't know they have been doing that, although it does make sense. For how long have they been shutting down these channels? A few years?

Given how wide and in-depth The Silmarillion really is, I doubt a movie that's both true enough to the source material and appealing enough to the audiences would eventually come into existence. Plus, the book is already a masterpiece in itself, and one of my favourite literary works.

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I don't know for how long they have been doing it, but when a new AI channel pops up it's only a few weeks until it's shut down.

The Silmarillion is not just one of my favorite books, it's my favourite book period.

I think the movie is doable, in some sense, it's easier to stay true to the original source than LOTR, it has more action and adventure that would attract audiences. With the right script writer (not the ones that wrote the script for the LOTR or Hobbit movies or the Rings of Power), under the supervision of some Tolkien scholars and the right budget, it is possible. I have an idea in my mind on how I would roughly make it but of course, my imaginary budget is unlimited and I am not a movie director/producer.

There are non-AI fan-made adaptations on YouTube. They're either animated or involve actual people in costume.

I shared a few of them here:

They don't seem to have had copyright problems so far, and they're quite good for what they are.

There is also this:


But this is a stage musical rather than a film.

I am unsure if this could work. I mean Rings of Powers is already a mess so i doubt it.