Amazon has now officially confirmed that they have acquired the rights to and will make a multi season Lord of the Rings TV show. Check out the press release here.

The announcement came out yesterday, after hearing about a week ago that Amazon, Netflix, and HBO were each contemplating buying the rights. The update also gives us more info on the direction of the show: it will center around new, untold stories that take place somewhere before the events of the first book. There is also the potential for spin-off shows, provided the first is successful of course:

“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. [Sharon Tal Yguado] 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.

Set in Middle Earth, the television adaptation will explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. The deal includes a potential additional spin-off series.”

This is very exciting news! A lot has changed in the course of a week. We now have both a new Star Wars movie trilogy and a Lord of the Rings television series to look forward to. Stay tuned right here for any updates to both!