Tolkien fans are eagerly awaiting Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings TV series, set sometime in the Second Age of Middle-Earth before the main story’s events.
Of course, it’d be no overstatement to suggest that the most avid gatekeepers of Arda have held on to their reservations about the new show. For one thing, the plot takes place during a period where the writers have to come up with most of what the narrative will entail. This includes characters, set pieces, and even dialogues, so it’s safe to say that we can’t expect the series to stay true to the language of J.R.R. Tolkien as Peter Jackson did in his cinematic trilogies.
A few months ago, some outlets reported that The Lord of the Rings by Amazon is going to contain nudity. As you can imagine, a lot of folks didn’t take this rumor well, and they even launched a petition to nip it in the bud. Now, TheOneRing.net has once again claimed that the series will indeed contain such controversial elements, just not in the manner you’d expect.
Apparently, the show will incorporate nudity in scenes depicting the transformation of elves into orcs by Melkor aka Morgoth, scenes that’ll become some of the darkest and most ambitious takes of any Tolkien adaptation.
As the report revealed:
“Nudity is sparse and not sexualized— contrary to earlier concerns: but rather this artistic choice represents very dark thematic material suggestive of concentration camp-type visuals of victims, a harrowing portrayal of the corruption of the Elves by dark powers to ultimately become Orcs [if this plays out fully it may well be one of the most ambitious things undertaken by this production and perhaps by anyone attempting to adapt Tolkien].”
Whether or not this creative decision is indicative of the show’s overall tone remains to be seen, but harrowing imagery is yet another one of those things that don’t go hand-in-hand with the fantasy world’s themes. After all, even Jackson’s portrayal of Saruman breeding the army of Uruk-hai didn’t quite go there.
What are your thoughts on this, though, and are you excited about The Lord of the Rings? Sound off below.