Tolkien scholar: Amazon's Lord of the Rings series to launch with 20 episodes, but will be limited in its scope

/Film

J.R.R. Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey, who was announced last month as part of the Amazon series' creative team, recently offered details of what the show can and cannot do to the German Tolkien fan site. For instance, the series cannot veer out of the Second Age. "The First and Third Ages are ‘off-limits,' you can’t have the First Age," he says. "Events could be mentioned at the most if they explain the events of the Second Age. But if it is not described or mentioned in the Lord of the Rings or in the appendices, they probably cannot use it. So the question is to what extent they may hint at events that took place, for example, in the First Age, but still continue to affect the Second Age." Shippey, whose job is to make sure the series stays in the Second Age, adds that "it’s a bit of a minefield. You have to tread very carefully but at the same time there is quite a lot of scope for interpretation and free invention.” Shippey also revealed that "there’s supposed to be 20 episodes for the first season," which would be unusual for a Peak TV streaming show.