# data[].attributes.headline
What do these numerous adaptations tell us?

# data[].attributes.subject
What do these numerous adaptations tell us?

# data[].attributes.body
Ultimately all these adaptations continuing even into this year serve as proof of the ongoing interest into adapting Tolkien's work with this popularity not looking likely to end anytime soon.

# data[].attributes.body
Many famous authors have taken influence from 'The Lord of the Rings'. Stephen King admits to taking influence for 'The Dark Tower' series and George R. R. Martin confesses to taking inspiration for the 'Game of Thrones' series.

Famous movies have also been adapted from 'The Lord of the Rings'. An early draft for of Star Wars included an exchange of dialogue between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker taken directly from the conversation between Gandalf and Bilbo in Chapter 1 of The Hobbit, where Gandalf/Kenobi says "Good morning!" and Bilbo/Luke replies asking whether he means he's having a good morning, or is wishing him one, or that all mornings are good. Gandalf/Kenobi answers "All of them at once". The plagiarised dialogue was dropped, but Lucas modelled the monk-like Kenobi on Gandalf. The film author Chris Taylor identifies several further elements of Star Wars that in his view could have been modelled on Middle-earth.

The Narnia movies were adapted from Tolkien´s friend C.S. Lewis' books. These were adapted due to the popularity of The Lord of the Rings.

# data[].attributes.body
The original texts follow Frodo and his quest to destroy the one ring to rule them all, its largest influences being biblical. The narrative epic spans a multitude of vistas and a wealth of deeply complex characters, fundamentally it follows the hero's arc to a tee and is often regarded as the blueprint for most fantasy epics. At its core the text is thematically about triumph in the face of adversity, the power of an individual and brotherhood, features that dominated Tolkien's life in his efforts within his efforts in the first world war.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – Teaser Trailer | Prime Video

# data[].attributes.body
The epic high fantasy trilogy was released between 1954 and 1955, selling over 150 million copies to this day. The text is widely regarded as one of the most influential and critically acclaimed classical pieces of literature, and continues to influence the fantasy genre to this day. Tolkien's initial difficulties in publishing the text lead to huge delays to their releases, especially considering the multiple pioneering aspects required to a full appreciation of the texts, including the maps featured and the multiple constructed languages, it was a real feat for the original texts to be released in their totality.

# data[].attributes.body
Stage plays:

In 2006, the musical show of LOTR was first performed in Toronto, then it came to West End in London in 2007. The lavish Lord of the Rings musical had become one of the biggest commercial flops in West End history by the time it closed a year later, in July 2008, with a record of £25 million budget. In Toronto production, the musical was set in an unusual scale with large number of casts which is 65, with a cost of C$30 million. However, compressing such a large plot into three hours has obvious drawbacks. The main flaw in The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien once said, was that it wasn't nearly lengthy enough. Whether or not this is true of the book, it is unmistakably true of the stage adaptation. There isn't enough time for character growth or feeling. But the stage version's greatest strength is the way its various components come together to form an organic whole.

# data[].attributes.body
Music:

After the release and success of the film series, the music of the film theme became classic and iconic. Being composed, orchestrated, conducted and produced by Howard Shore, the scores are widely regarded as one of the most significant achievements in the history of film music. There are nearly 90% of the film contains music, and in each specific scene, the motifs are grouped into sets and subsets of similar topics and are tied to places, cultures, characters, events and occurrences. The title of each piece of music also describes the main scenes and events of the plot. Following the theatrical release of each film, Howard Shore rebuilt the music from the films and original soundtrack releases into concert-hall movements, finally completing The Lord of the Rings Symphony, a highly organised six-movement piece for orchestra, choir, and soloist. Then, a DVD titled Howard Shore: Creating the Lord of the Rings Symphony—a composer's journey through Middle Earth has been released. In 2011, Shore also released the CD and MP3 version of the symphony.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxB5AHoTalA

# data[].attributes.body
Ultimately, the success and prevalence of video-game adaptations of the work Tolkien creates proves the quality of his worldbuilding and characters - they can be transferred between mediums without losing the traits that make them appealing to audiences.

# data[].attributes.body
Trailer for an upcoming game in the Tolkien universe.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Lord of the Rings Gollum - Official Cinematic Trailer | Game Awards 2021

# data[].attributes.headline
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North (2011)

# data[].attributes.subject
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North (2011)

# data[].attributes.body
Following Warner Brothers: Interactive Entertainment's procurement of the rights to both the film and literary world of LOTR (the first time this had ever occurred), the studio took video game adaptations in a darker direction. 2011 saw the release of War in the North, another hack n' slash released to lukewarm reviews.

The game blended the worlds of book and film, mainly borrowing the film's aesthetic and plot of the books. However, the game created a new storyline, one featuring 3 new playable characters that embarked on a journey, parallel to that of the Fellowship's (at the same time, often crossing over, but with different objectives).

# data[].attributes.headline
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

# data[].attributes.subject
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

# data[].attributes.headline
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

# data[].attributes.subject
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

# data[].attributes.body
Aside from early efforts to adapt the works of Tolkien, the most successful video game transcriptions have been adaptations of adaptations: video-game renditions of Peter Jackson's trilogy. Beginning with The Two Towers published by EA in 2002, the game heavily borrows from it's cinematic predecessor (due to Vivendi Universal Games owning the rights to adaptations of the literary work), taking sets and characters from the film and placing them within the digital realm. The gameplay is combat heavy, allowing players to take on the role of either Aragorn, Legolas, or Gimli as they hack and slash through hordes of enemies.

The game blended the plotlines of the first two films (Fellowship and Two Towers) into one, with the occasional level or set piece unique to the game. The blending was a result of Vivendi having released a The Fellowship of the Ring game a few weeks prior.

Overall, it sold incredibly well at 4 million copies, and spawned a sequel in 2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

# data[].attributes.body
Published by Melbourne House, an Australian video game development company, in 1982, The Hobbit was the first adaptation of Tolkien's literary world into digital form. It was released on most commercial, for home-use computers at the time (such as the ZX Spectrum). The game was text and illustration based, meaning players inputted text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Featuring over 50 locations, a cast of varied characters, and rich, digitally-rendered images, the game was an incredibly successful transcription from word to image. In 1983 it received the Golden Joystick Award, having sold roughly 100,000 copies in its first year of sale alone.

The success of the game spawned numerous sequels by Melbourne House: including a The Fellowship of the Ring text illustration game, and a strategy game named War in Middle-Earth that allowed players to control legions of soldiers and key characters from the books to pit them against the armies of Mordor.

# data[].attributes.body
(The entire first episode, need only watch the opening)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hobitit 1  Bilbo Eng  sub   The Hobbits  Finland 1993

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hobbit in USSR, intro(1991 not released) -Сокровища Под Горой, или Хоббит

# data[].attributes.body
(nonsense subtitles)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sam gets to meet the Elves - Lord of the Rings 1978 - Nostalgic animation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Gandalf - First cinematic appearance | The Hobbit 1977

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Glorfindel Clip - Sagan om ringen (1971)

# data[].attributes.body
Radio:

In 1981, BBC Radio 4 broadcast 26 half-hour stereo instalments of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The novel has previously been adapted for BBC Radio in 1955 and 1956 and for National Public Radio in the United States in 1979 by The Mind's Eye, but till now no recordings could be found. The main content of the radio is mostly based on the novel, the heroes who represent the justice, fight against the big villain Dark Lord Sauron of Mordor, however, several original settings had been made some alterations by Brian Sibley and Michael Bakewell. In the summer of 1982, the series was broadcast in Canada, then in US and Australia. In 2001, the first film of the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was released with huge success, followed by The Two Towers. Then, the BBC reissued the series in three sets corresponding to the three original volumes. In 2002, Radio 4 re-aired the 13-episode series to promote the station's newly launched digital platform.

# data[].attributes.headline
Legal issues with Tolkien Estate - Lily 

# data[].attributes.subject
Legal issues with Tolkien Estate - Lily 

# data[].attributes.body
Since the release of the Peter Jackson-directed trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien's estate has had multiple issues with Warner Bros. regarding the adaptation.

One such problem stems back to 2009 when the estate and studio were forced to reach a settlement after the author’s representatives claimed they were owed millions in profits.

Another was Christopher Tolkien’s (author's son) thoughts on the films having been rumoured to disproved.

In 2012, the estate and studio went head-to-head with Christopher publicly saying the films "eviscerated" the book, calling out the commercialisation of the original work. He believed the adaptations did the film an injustice.

The conflict between the two parties stemmed from Warner Bros. allowing wizards, hobbits, elves, and other creatures feature on slot machines and other games. The adaptations were featured on merchandising that was not approved by Tolkien's estate, along with publisher HarperCollins who claimed the studio never had those licensing rights. Warner Bros. countersued, alleging the complaint cost them millions in license fees.

After years of battling, an undisclosed agreement has been met, a Warner Bros. spokesperson issuing a statement, reading: “The parties are pleased that they have amicably resolved this matter and look forward to working together in the future.” Terms of the settlement have not been publicly revealed, but no costs or fees have been awarded by a court, and neither party is entitled to recover the fees.

# data[].attributes.headline
Amazon’s The Rings of Power - 2022 (upcoming) 

# data[].attributes.subject
Amazon’s The Rings of Power - 2022 (upcoming) 

# data[].attributes.body
The highly anticipated prequel to all prequels is set to be released this September in the form of an Amazon prime video television show. Though not adapting from The Lord of The Rings or The Hobbit the show will be drawing on Tolkien's other works and various appendices set thousands of years before The Hobbit commences. The Rings of Power are already facing backlash for casting, costume and character design choices not being in keeping with the universe but the spared-no-expense budget will surely make for a spectacular expanse in the Tolkien cinematic universe.

# data[].attributes.body
The first (loose) adaptation to screen of The Lord of The Rings. Sagan om Ringen is a two part Swedish Television movie produced by Sveriges Television, inspired by the album Music inspired by Lord of The Rings by Bo Hansson which was in turn inspired by Tolkien's original The Lord of The Rings.

# data[].attributes.body
Peter Jackson's prequel trilogy saw another ambitious return to Middle-Earth. However, although popular many argued its inauthenticity in introducing for the first time new characters not in the original Tolkien novels such as wood-elf Tauriel and in bringing fan favourite Legolas back despite his absence in the book.

# data[].attributes.body
Hobbitit is a 9 part Finnish Television show based on a stage play adaptation of The Lord of The Rings. Despite its small budget it was praised for its faithful encapsulation of the original book's atmosphere.

# data[].attributes.body
Thought to be lost after it's original showing on Leningrad Television in 1991, Khraniteli was a Soviet Television play adaptation of The Fellowship of The Ring broadcast in 2 episodes.

# data[].attributes.body
Another Russian adaptation of The Hobbit but this time animated. An unsuccessful pilot for a Hobbit inspired television show.

# data[].attributes.body
The first adaptation of The Hobbit. A US produced and Japanese animated cartoon musical using songs written and inspired by Tolkien's own lyrics. Distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Lord of The Rings- Animated film - 1978

# data[].attributes.subject
The Lord of The Rings- Animated film - 1978

# data[].attributes.body
Only a year after the last animated adaptation comes Ralph Bakshi's version utilising material from both The Fellowship of The Ring and The Two Towers. Produced in the US and distributed by United Artists this adaptation held influence over future versions and cast most notably John Hurt as Aragorn and Anthony Daniels as Legolas.

# data[].attributes.body
In the form of a television play/film for children the USSR's The Hobbit aired on Leningrad TV Channel. A more loose adaptation, it left out notable characters such as Elrond, Beorn and mountain trolls as well as using ballet dancers as the people of lake town and various goblins.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Lord of The Rings Trilogy-  2001-2003

# data[].attributes.subject
The Lord of The Rings Trilogy-  2001-2003

# data[].attributes.body
Arguably the most famous of the adaptations, Peter Jackson's film trilogy firmly cemented The Lord of The Rings' association with New Zealand/Aotearoa, high production value and disassociation with children's content. Winning the Oscar for Best Picture, Director and Writing/adapted screenplay among many more is alone evidence of the films' immense success. Though it endeavoured to be faithful, the films' structure does differ significantly to the books as well as creating lines synonymous with their characters e.g "You shall not pass" which are not present in the books.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Return of the King - Animated film - 1980

# data[].attributes.subject
The Return of the King - Animated film - 1980

# data[].attributes.body
AKA Return of The King: A story of the Hobbits. After issues with the Tolkien estate were settled this animated musical adaptation of the final book of The Lord of The Rings is an amalgamation of the trilogy and sequel to The Hobbit 1977.

# data[].attributes.headline
Inspired - e.g Harry Potter, Star Wars, Narnia- Lily

# data[].attributes.subject
Inspired - e.g Harry Potter, Star Wars, Narnia- Lily

# data[].attributes.body
what did it inspire?

Despite Tolkien admitting himself that 'The Lord of the Rings' took influence from many old pieces of literature, literature has been inspired by Tolkien since. Some say that the 'Harry Potter' series is influenced by the Lord of the Rings. Similarities include:

The concept of Horcruxes seem to have a lot in common with the One ring. They both contain a part of the creator's soul. It's difficult to destroy either, they both possess the wielder and both the stories revolve around destroying these objects.

Dumbledore and Gandalf have a lot in common in appearance and characterisation.

Similar monsters e.g. giant spiders of Aragog and Shelob.

Neither Harry nor Frodo knew about the fantastical world in which the story is carried out when both plots begin.

Both villains are referred to as The Dark Lord. Both started off as near dead spirits influencing the evils around them to help regain a corporeal body. They both control servants / groups that follow them to carry out their wishes: the Nazgul and the death eaters.

Both stories start from birthdays. Harry's 11th and Bilbo's 111th.

The Whomping Willow is a direct Copy of the Old Man Willow.

The Elder Wand is strikingly similar to the One Ring. It seems to have a mind of it's own, it's desired by all even unto committing murder to obtain it, it grants the wielder unmatched strength. To destroy them both is nigh impossible since the ring could only be destroyed in the fires of mount doom and the wand if its master dies a natural death.

Similarities between characters and their statuses: Aragorn, heir of Isildur, High King of Gondor and Harry, heir of Godric Gryffindor, Leader of Dumbledore's Army.

Similarities in setting / plot e.g. the floating bodies in the Dead Marshes and in the Crystal Cave.

# data[].attributes.headline
Adaptations in other Media, radio, music, stage plays  - Ruihan

# data[].attributes.subject
Adaptations in other Media, radio, music, stage plays  - Ruihan

# data[].attributes.headline
Filmic Adaptations in chronological order LOTR + The Hobbit - CJ

# data[].attributes.subject
Filmic Adaptations in chronological order LOTR + The Hobbit - CJ

# data[].attributes.headline
The Lord of The Rings - OG details  - Henry

# data[].attributes.subject
The Lord of The Rings - OG details  - Henry

# data[].attributes.body
published when
Tolkien details
e.t.c