Petition Amazon—Keep LOTRonPrime true to Tolkien and free of undue objectionable content

Petition Amazon—Keep LOTRonPrime true to Tolkien and free of undue objectionable content

Started
January 25, 2020
Petition to
Signatures: 8,473Next Goal: 10,000
Support now

Why this petition matters

Started by J. S. Clingman

In the wake of recent popular TV-MA dark fantasy series including A Game of Thrones and The Witcher, Amazon has acquired the rights to our beloved Tolkien's Middle-earth and has begun casting and pre-production. We would now like to make it clear that we, the signers of this petition, will not accept some original rendering of Tolkien's world which does not adhere to the spirit of the stories he wrote.

  1. We ask that the series remain respectful and faithful overall to Tolkien's works. With all due respect to the writing team assigned to LotR on Prime, we cannot allow for a series based on some original story conjured up by a few Hollywood writers of this age of polarized beliefs and political opinions. We do not want any political or otherwise modern agendas stuffed into the story, and we do not want a storyline that contradicts the spirit of the tales he wrote. The series must remain true to the spirit of Tolkien's stories, in both theme and overall plot. However, we realize that some additions and omissions to the story are necessary to the creation of a good adaptation. 
  2. We refuse to accept a series with objectionable content such as sex, gratuitous gory violence, and profane and/or obscene language. We do not want any of this in this series, period. Tolkien did not write stories with sex or profane language. We therefore request that this adaptation be substantially more in line with Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy (which was immensely popular and made nearly $3 billion in gross box office receipts) than HBO's A Game of Thrones. We appreciate the standard of decency Jackson set in his trilogy, which, while it departed from the original source material in some cases, stayed true to the spirit of Tolkien's vision, and will not accept a series that turns Tolkien's beloved works as we know them into some Game of Thrones spin-off. Those stories set prior to The Lord of The Rings, such as those accounted in The Silmarillion, do tend to be somewhat dark in tone, containing what tends to be violent imagery in the description of the primordial war between the forces of Good and Evil. However, it is notable that Tolkien did not write his works with a future screen adaptation in mind and certainly wouldn't have authorized one containing onscreen sex, profanities, and excessive violence. Tolkien obviously believed in stories remaining decent, and any adaptation of his Middle-earth which is not in line with his beliefs would be nothing less than a total violation of his legacy and the world he sub-created.

Please sign this petition to show that you stand for a faithful TV adaptation based on Tolkien's Middle-earth, and to help Amazon, director J.A. Bayona, and the writers see that we want them to create that series. I have written and signed this petition because Tolkien's world and stories are close to my heart, and I would hate to see the beloved world we all know and love be turned into something inferior to what we believe Tolkien would have wanted based on his writings.

All fans of Middle-earth will be affected by whatever Amazon's LotR on Prime becomes. It's obvious Amazon is looking to make something big, and kudos to them for recognizing an opportunity to bring this amazing world to life once again. But it's up to us to make certain that they do it in a way that pleases lovers of Tolkien's Middle-earth as he wrote it.

Thank you!

 

Please share this petition with your friends via text, email, and/or on social media (links below); the more we share, the more signatures this petition receives, and the more likely Amazon will notice. It's because of people like you that this petition is where it is today, people who showed how much they care by taking a little extra time to sign and share this with their friends. What you do DEFINITELY makes a difference. Thank you so much for all your support!

To share on Facebook: http://bit.ly/ShareLotRPetitiononFacebook

To share on Twitter: http://bit.ly/ShareLotRPetitiononTwitter

To share link: https://www.change.org/FidelitytoTolkien

 

Disclaimer: I speak only for those who have signed this petition, not for all fans of Middle-earth. I understand that there are those who are true fans of Professor Tolkien who would disagree with the statements made in this petition.

Support now
Signatures: 8,473Next Goal: 10,000
Support now
Share this petition in person or use the QR code for your own material.Download QR Code

Decision Makers

  • Amazon Studios
  • J.A. Bayonadirector
  • Jason CahillWriter
  • Justin DobleWriter
  • Helen ShangWriter