Tom Shippey, a renowned scholar of the literature written by J.R.R. Tolkien, has reportedly departed Amazon's upcoming Lord of the Rings television series.
During a livestream, Signum University President Corey Olsen (also known as Tolkien Professor) was asked about his colleague's involvement in Amazon's Lord of the Rings. "I have spoken to Shippey," Olsen said. "Is he still involved? I don't believe so."
Shippey was confirmed to be part of the Lord of the Rings creative team during a video released in 2019. He is best known for his two books centering around Tolkien's life, The Road to Middle-Earth in 1982 and J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century in 2000. Shippey was also involved in director Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings television series was first announced in 2017, with Amazon investing $1 billion into the development of the project. Production in Auckland, New Zealand was recently halted as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The series is evidently set to take place during the Second Age in Tolkien's Legendarium.
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, Maxim Baldry and Daniel Weyman.
(via The One Ring)