Hold My Staff: Amazon Is Producing a "Lord of the Rings" Prequel TV Series

Will it take the throne from Game of Thrones? (Maybe!)

Deadline is reporting that Amazon has just signed a mammoth deal to secure the rights to create an original Lord of the Rings (LOTR) TV series.

While the concept for the show hasn't been announced (or even imagined), it's set to take place before the events of the first film in the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, which probably means no Frodo or Sam.

The deal is estimated to be valued at $US250 million (about $AUD330 million) and that's just for the rights. It's likely each season will cost more than $US100 million (about $AUD130 million) to produce.

For context, each episode in the final season of Game of Thrones will cost around $US80 million to produce. So, it's going to be pretty huge.

Considering there's already 19.5 hours of LOTR-universe films (including The Hobbit series), it will be interesting to see which journey our (maybe) familiar friends are taken on, given they've run out of the original source material.

Though they haven't set a premiere date, Amazon is committed to producing multiple seasons.

As for whether it has the gall to usurp Game of Thrones from its place as the biggest television series so far? The fate of the television world will soon be decided. 

Photo: New Line Cinema