About a week ago, we reported that Amazon was in talks with Warner Bros. and J.R.R. Tolkien's estate for a possible TV series adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. Now, Amazon has announced that it has acquired the global television rights with a multi-season commitment. The upcoming Amazon Prime Original will be produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Set in Middle Earth, the television adaptation will explore new storylines preceding Tolkien’s "The Fellowship of the Ring." (Will we be getting a live-action adaptation of "The Silmarillion"?) The deal includes a potential additional spin-off series. The upcoming Amazon Prime Original will be available for Prime members to stream and enjoy using the Amazon Prime Video app for TVs, connected devices including Amazon Fire TV, and mobile devices, or online with other Amazon Prime Originals online at Amazon.com/originals, at no additional cost to their membership.

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Image via New Line Cinema

“The Lord of the Rings is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen,” said Sharon Tal Yguado, Head of Scripted Series, Amazon Studios. “We are honored to be working with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking The Lord of the Rings fans on a new epic journey in Middle Earth.”

“We are delighted that Amazon, with its longstanding commitment to literature, is the home of the first-ever multi-season television series for The Lord of the Rings,” said Matt Galsor, a representative for the Tolkien Estate and Trust and HarperCollins. “Sharon and the team at Amazon Studios have exceptional ideas to bring to the screen previously unexplored stories based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s original writings.”

What do you hope to see in Amazon's Lord of the Ring series? Who would you like to see cast in the lead roles? Let us know in the comments!

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Image via New Line Cinema