Amazon's Lord of the Rings series should be here by 2021
Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke teases the show, which is early in its development, in industry interviews.
Familiar faces such as Gandalf, pictured here as played by Ian McKellen, will likely show up in Amazon's Lord of the Rings series.
Amazon is in early development of its Lord of the Rings show, with Amazon Studios' new head Jennifer Salke hoping the show will air in 2021.
Salke said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that the show would be in production within the next two years.
"Despite all the chatter about it, the deal just closed a month ago. We've been talking to writers. We have an estate that's very active. I've spent three hours with Neil Tolkien. There's a lot of moving parts with it," Salke said regarding the early development process.
Salke also says there are "amicable" conversations with Peter Jackson, who directed both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies, but no firm involvement on his part.
In another interview with Deadline, Salke said the show will likely involve "characters you love," but will not remake the movies. It's also possible the show could shoot in New Zealand, where the previous Rings movies have filmed, she said.
Both interviews are wide-ranging, with Salke detailing her plans for picking out future programs for Amazon, including how the streaming service recently rescued The Expanse from cancellation. She replaced Roy Price in the role earlier this year following harassment allegations.
CNET reached out to Amazon to confirm comment and has not immediately heard back.
