Actor Sean Astin has shown his support for Amazon’s upcoming The Lord of the Rings series and expects it will be "amazing."
Astin advised fans of the fantasy saga to "enjoy the ride," before admitting how excited he was to see how the material plays out. "I have every expectation that this Lord of the Rings adaptation is going to be amazing," Astin told ComingSoon.net. He also spoke about his 2002 prediction that there would be a reboot of the franchise in 2020 or 2021. "I have that foresight," Astin jested, before touching on how he believes fans want to experience what they love through generations.
Astin also addressed fans' trepidation over Amazon's decision to "remake a classic," by reassuring them that the classic will remain. "Maybe somebody will do something interesting, and if it stinks, don't watch it," Astin proposed. He added that he is confident the series will be a success because of the preparation taken and the talented people involved.
The large-scale adaptation is confirmed to take place during the Second Age of Middle-earth, set before the events of Peter Jackson’s films. Astin played Frodo Baggins’ companion Samwise Gamgee in the live-action trilogy, and he admitted that the new show’s source material "might be new information to me."
Amazon's series has already been greenlit for a second season, with the first eight-episode season rumored to have a budget of almost half a billion dollars. Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke recently justified Lord of the Rings' expense, which will support the amount of world-building involved.
The adaptation's cast list continues to grow, though the full character roster has not yet been confirmed. Only a handful of familiar characters from J.R.R. Tolkien's books have been announced, including Sauron, Elrond and a young Galadriel played by Morfydd Clark.
Produced by Amazon Studios, The Lord of the Rings stars Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Simon Merrells, Geoff Morrell, Peter Mullan, Lloyd Owen, Augustus Prew, Peter Tait, Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Sara Zwangobani, Charles Edwards, Will Fletcher, Amelie Child-Villiers and Beau Cassidy. The series is expected to premiere on Amazon Prime Video in 2021.
Source: ComingSoon.net