Birthday Wishes

Today is the 93rd birthday of Christopher Tolkien, son of J.R.R. Tolkien. He grew up surrounded by his father's creations, and when Tolkien died, he gave up a lecturer's post at Oxford and became his literary executor, publishing his father's unfinished work, like The Silmarillion, Beowulf, and most recently, Beren and Luthien. For years he has been at the front of Tolkien studies, not only by the monumental labor of publishing that he has undertaken, but by seeking to propagate his father's true and unaltered legacy to the many admirers of his books.

I'm sure that most of those reading this are aware of the recent LotR Amazon rights deal (if not, check out this press release). Basically, Amazon has purchased from the Tolkien Estate the global TV rights for both LotR and The Hobbit (not the Silmarillion), and is planning on producing a multiple season show. That bit about the Tolkien Estate is worth revisiting, as it is important to understand the other, lesser-known piece of news that I'll mention below. In 1969 Tolkien himself sold the film rights (not including TV rights) to LotR and the Hobbit to United Artists (later bought by Saul Zaentz, who created Middle-earth Enterprises). This is what allowed Peter Jackson to make his film series, in addition to the earlier Rankin Bass and Ralph Bakshi animated films, and is distinct from the Tolkien Estate, which handles the book rights, and, until recently, the television rights. I was astounded when I discovered that the Christopher Tolkien-led Estate, which had been completely at odds with Jackson over his interpretation ("They gutted my father's book and made it into an action film" was one statement Christopher Tolkien made) would allow Amazon to buy the television rights- it was a very hopeful sign for the show to have Tolkien's son supporting it.

However, far from supporting it, Christopher has resigned from the Estate, which he had led since his father's death. This is very important news, not just because it involves the virtual retirement of the foremost advocate of Tolkien's legacy, but because, as the Amazon deal proves, the Estate is now much more willing to licence Tolkien properties than under Christopher's management.

This probably means that we'll be seeing many more such deals, and a change in what could be called the 'Middle-earth franchise' approaching the changes Disney's takeover made to Star Wars. What the quality of these productions will be is yet to be seen, but after the Jackson films I would say many, including myself, feel pretty pessimistic about their chances.

With all this going on, I thought it fitting that we Tolkiendili should remember Christopher Tolkien and his work- no matter what changes the public perception of Lord of the Rings undergoes, thanks to Christopher, Tolkien's true legacy has been preserved, and is accessible to all who want to discover it.

For this, heartfelt thanks and a hope for a happy birthday!