Production on Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings series is picking up speed after the corporate juggernaut halted it due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. And now, a recent casting call has hinted at the kind of show that J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay are busy producing.
When Amazon signed a deal with the Tolkien estate for the rights to the world of Middle-earth, the news was as controversial as it was exciting. I mean, the story has already found huge success in cinema through Peter Jackson’s highly acclaimed trilogy. Besides, is there enough source material in Arda, especially in the Second Age, to warrant a multi-season TV show?
Even barring these questionable matters, can The Lord of the Rings serve as a worthy successor to Game of Thrones considering their thematic differences? After all, that’s what Amazon hoped for with this deal, right?
Well, it seems that our concerns haven’t exactly been unfounded. According to a report by TheOneRing.net, a reliable source of information on the world of Tolkien, a casting call is asking for actors who are “comfortable with nudity,” an element that doesn’t really sit well with the world that the author created.
We are starting to see casting calls for actors "comfortable with nudity"
AMAZON DON'T DO IT
DO NOT!
This isn't Game of Thrones. Hedonism did not bring down Numenor.
— TheOneRing (@theoneringnet) September 24, 2020
In fairness, one of the reasons that Game of Thrones managed to get that sort of traction was its mature themes. The world of Westeros doesn’t shy away from violence or nudity, as George R.R. Martin deems them a vital aspect of its realistic tone. But Tolkien always handles these issues tastefully, leaning instead on the fantastical side of things. So, would it be a good idea to forcefully incorporate such elements in the hope of imitating GOT‘s success?
Of course, this casting call doesn’t 100% confirm that there’ll definitely be nudity on the show, but if Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings decides to go down that direction, we can’t help but wonder if it’ll bode well for the series when it releases sometime in 2021.