Will The Silmarillion be made.

[BerenVonRictoffen]

Just in time for MST3k.

[Shadowman82]

Yes since the Silmarillion spans over a very long period of time you would almost have to do it that way . Maybe that's how they did that Bible mini series , I don't know I never watched that . But then I don't think anything Made for TV would have the budget to do it justice ... unless if HBO did it .

[BerenVonRictoffen]

Yes since the Silmarillion spans over a very long period of time you would almost have to do it that way . Maybe that's how they did that Bible mini series , I don't know I never watched that . But then I don't think anything Made for TV would have the budget to do it justice ... unless if HBO did it .

"I don't know I never watched that"

You just answered your own question. Compare the readership of the Silmarillion (i.e. a few die-hard geeks), to that of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, and thus there's no reason for anyone to invest in producing it.
The main questions would be, who would form the main cast? Beren and Luthien? Olorin/Gandalf, who isn't really featured in the film? The Ainur?
And none of it could really tie into Jackson's film, which indicated that Sauron made the Rings, that he was hideous before he made the Ruling Ring, and that he used the Ring to conquer etc.-- when in reality it was the Men of Numenor who destroyed themselves.
But maybe Jackson will try a pre-prequel, who knows... God knows he's done worse.

[Shadowman82]

I think Jackson wouldn't even do it since he was originally reluctant to even direct The Hobbit movies .

[BerenVonRictoffen]

I think Jackson wouldn't even do it since he was originally reluctant to even direct The Hobbit movies .

No, New Line was reluctant to hire him due to salary-disputes, and was considering Del Toro instead.
But besides that, you have to understand how movies are made: i.e. you have to prove the profit to investors, before anyone will back it. With The Silmarillion, that amount would be so small that even if it were made, it would look cheaper than The Hunt for Gollum; and not many people are going to buy a toy Melkor etc.

[lotrjw]

Doesnt the fall of Numenor tie in with the rigngs of power and Sauron which is essentially sort of back story to Lord of the Rings but actually in the Silmarillion? It may be the only thing that ties in with it though.

[Params7]

Maybe a Game Of Thrones style TV show might be better suited for Silmarillion.

[Lalaith-Elerrina]

If he's involved, hopefully never.

If he's not involved... maybe some things are best left to the imagination. Keep some wells pure to drink.

I really hope not. I don't even want to imagine what it'd become in order to sell. Especially by PJ.

I echo your sentiments. I would not like to see the Silm made it into a movie. I would like to keep it as the pure, unchanged book that it is.

[markkur]

I agree with the comments that PJ should not do it, but I think at this point he would have to be the one. Not because I think he's that good but only because a Studio would probably only go for a complete new adaptation and stray completely from the Book.

It was also said, "the Book was far less popular with the true fans of LotR and TH" I agree and will guess the present situation would give them <ahem> greater flaming artistic-license. <imo>The whole motivation would only be to capitalize on the $ success of endless decapitation-scenes. May that never be!

[Naeth Dúlinn]

Christopher Tolkien thinks Jackson eviscerated his father's works, so he will not give Jackson the rights. I am happy for this, I agree that the silmarillion would be destroyed by Jackson. Also, even after CT dies, there is a seventy year period after death in which the rights are withheld, and thats if he doesnt give them to someone else. So chances are we will not see a silmarillion movie for at least a hundred years.

[ngaur]

Christopher Tolkien thinks Jackson eviscerated his father's works, so he will not give Jackson the rights. I am happy for this, I agree that the silmarillion would be destroyed by Jackson. Also, even after CT dies, there is a seventy year period after death in which the rights are withheld, and thats if he doesnt give them to someone else. So chances are we will not see a silmarillion movie for at least a hundred years.

Chances are you won't see one for a substantially longer time than that. Not unless it is extremely loosely based on the Silmarillion, or unless only one its chapters are adapted. Turning the whole Silmarillion into a tv-series is near impossible. Turning it into a movie is much more difficult than that.

[Naeth Dúlinn]

I think in the right hands it could be a well-adapted tv series. Maybe 1 season per age? Though there are some lengthier parts of the stories, like Turin's story is particularly large. A movie I think would be a horrible option. I don't see that being decent at all.

[Numenohtar]

Film adaptations of tales from the Silmarillion are inevitable. Christopher Tolkien will not have control of the Estate forever. But saying that films are inevitable does not mean that quality adaptations are inevitable. In fact, commercial monstrosities that simply focus on plot tension and special effects are what we will likely get, and we can thank Peter Jackson for making big companies show that they will sell. We may love that Jackson made the films and proved that one could make cinema out of these epic fantasy tales; but with the Hobbit films we now know that Jackson does what he's told to make the movies sell.

As has been said in this thread many times, the Turin tale is the best candidate. It needs very little to set it up; you don't even really need to know about the Silmarils, etc. However, it is so unlike what people would expect that its essence would be utterly betrayed. It is a dark, bleak story about doom. Jackson or someone like him would make Mim into a comedic device, would make Glaurung look ridiculous, and would probably overly-heroize Turin.

I think our best hope is that making such films becomes more affordable as technology advances rapidly. Special effects will become more affordable, and eventually independent filmmakers that are fans of Tolkien's works will be able to adapt them outside of the big budget circle of corporate vultures. I think we've seen this with Born of Hope and The Hunt for Gollum. Granted, these are of an extremely low quality, with scenes often more cringe-worthy than Jackson's worst moments. But it is a step in the right direction, production-wise, in my opinion.

As the world becomes more alien and mechanical, people will yearn for the world of myth. Middle-earth isn't going anywhere...

[Billobob]

I don't really think they'll make a simirillion since causal fans of LOTR wouldn't like it unless they changed the Simirillion so much we that hard core fans will wish the film had never been made. And sadly there are more casual than hardcore fans.

[Siberian]

I'm baffled by the modern obsession with the visual media. Don't get me wrong, I like a good adaption like Harry Potter or Hunger Games but I don't feel that I'm somehow missing something if my favorite book does not get a movie or a TV show treatment. Remember: all of us already have our perfect movie: it's called our imagination. And if your imagination needs some props, there's plenty of fanart around along with the "official" artists.

That said, a TV show seems like the best way to adapt much of TS (I wouldn't mind a TV series based on LOTR either - simply out of hope we'll get something more faithful to counterpoint PJ's monstrosities).

[Lysandros]

I think its more likely that a production company would stick to more well-plowed fields by creating new material within the PJ universe of LOTR. That way the setting is familiar and wider in appeal so audiences will be more interested. Kids who were 5-12 years old when the LOTR films came out are starting to enter their income earning years so someone might see an opportunity. I am too old and frustrated with the movies to really know if kids have nostalgia for them though.

Either that, or a full on remake. If someone were to start laying down screenplays and finding buyers today, they might get a FOTR reboot into theatres by 2020, 20 years after the originals...well within Hollywood tolerances for re-doing major movies.

[Shadowman82]

The only point IMO to do another movie adaption of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy would be to do it more faithfully to the books but it's not very likely that will ever happen .

[Denethor]

Ignoring the rights issues (and that Jackson needs to be kept well away from any adaption of The Silmarillion)...

I think your best bet is a movie of Beren and Luthien. At the risk of Tolkien coming back to life to throttle me, it actually has the standard Disneyesque attributes - forbidden love, rebellious princess, talking animal side-kick.

Turin is probably too dark for a mainstream audience - incest is one thing (in the age of Game of Thrones) but on-screen suicide by the protagonist might be a bit much. It strikes me as suiting something out of an arthouse, perhaps black and white or perhaps even silent.

[solicitr]

I think our best hope is that making such films becomes more affordable as technology advances rapidly.

Technology may, but talent doesn't. What genius filmmaker could possibly pull it off satisfactorily, even given limitless techno-magic? I don't see one out there, even among the dead; while LR, a novel, might have been possible for, say, a Lean or a Kurosawa (certainly not a Jackson), the Sil is effectively unrenderable in cinematic form.

[brodobaggins]

I doubt it will be made. I think the stories aren't as strong, and are too muddled. The Hobbit was bad enough, can you imagine more Middle Earth? I don't think people care anymore.

[Anriel Mendereth]

I'm a bit torn I suppose. i'd love the see the creation of Arda and the Valar, but I think I am with the majority in the that I would not want Peter Jackson to do it. Loved about 95% of the LotR movies, hated most of the Hobbit movies. Probably going to get shouted down here, but I would love James Cameron to do it