Despite a decidedly mixed result with his three-film adaption of The Hobbit, director Peter Jackson’s The Lord Of The Rings is definitely a masterpiece, one that has cemented a certain image of author J R R Tolkien’s Middle Earth into the minds of millions. Understandably, some of these would like to spend more time there and so have been hoping that the director would possibly embark on an adaption of Tolkien’s collection of Elvish legends, The Silmarillion.
Yesterday, MoviePilot posted a story speculating on just that. Over the weekend, the BBC released a short video featuring Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi visiting Jackson in New Zealand in character as part of a long-running, light-hearted attempt by Doctor Who producer Stephen Moffat to get the admitted fan of the show Jackson to direct an episode. Even when asked by the star of the show, Jackson was just too busy polishing his collection of Oscars to be able to take the gig. A bit of silly fun for fans, nothing more.
Except that MovieHole saw something on Jackson’s table and jumped to a conclusion –
Look closely at the table… It appears to feature a heavily bookmarked copy of ‘The Silmarillion.’ Are we finally going to see a cinematic adaptation of Tolkien’s first book?
Many Tolkien fans have been eagerly anticipating news of whether or not the Tolkien estate would allow Jackson to adapt the book to the big screen. Perhaps this is finally a small hint at what may be in the near future…
With Jackson making sure to decorate the table with his various Oscars, I can’t imagine that this is a mere coincidence… Here’s hoping it isn’t!
Well, it might not be a coincidence, but not because Jackson is getting ready to start an adaption of The Silmarillion.
The facts of the matter are these – Producer Saul Zaentz acquired the film rights to both The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy back in 1976. The film rights to The Silmarillion were not included, as the book was released posthumously by Tolkien’s son Christopher Tolkien the following year. Christopher Tolkien is very protective of his father’s work and legacy, and quite frankly has never been too happy that the films were even made. To this day, Christopher Tolkien has made no move to sell the film rights to any of the other published writings of his father, nor do I think he ever will. Of course, whomever comes into control of the Tolkien estate after Christopher Tolkien dies could continue to withhold those rights, or could choose to make them available. But time will tell on that.
More than likely, it’s just Jackson having a bit of fun, seeing if there is anyone out there is sharp-eyed enough to catch the fact that the book is on the table. Unfortunately, though, this is how rumors get started and false hopes raised.
