Word on the street is that Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV series may be trying to cash in on Game of Thrones-style nudity…
When you imagine the vast and awesome world created by J.R.R Tolkien you generally don’t think sexy. I mean, maybe when you imagine Gimli, but no one can blame you for that. It looks like the producers are trying to sexy up the world for their new series though. In some ways, it makes sense when you think about the success of Game of Thrones and the continued push to make all things fantasy sexy. It just doesn’t seem like Tolkien would want the world to go in that direction.
He basically never really wrote about sex or nudity in the books. While things like Game of Thrones had it in the original text, seems like a bit of a stretch to add it into Lord of the Rings. With the rights sold though… Not much anyone can do about it if the producers want to take it that direction.
Where the Speculation Comes From
While no one has seen the scenes, The One Ring reported that the production team has hired a well-known intimacy coordinator and put out an ad asking for extras okay with nudity. While the intimacy coordinator could easily be for a nice romantic scene, the call for nude extras seems like it will be more than that. That could mean giant nude group scenes, or maybe they just needed a couple of body doubles.
Who knows, maybe that is going to be the new thing in Rivendell. You get greeted by a group of fun-loving Elves just waiting for new arrivals…
Will Amazon’s Lord of the Rings Series Change the Identity of the Books?
When looking at Tolkien’s writing, he simply never touched the subject of sex. He was a devout catholic and even has stated the books are fundamentally Catholic and religious writings at their core. Here are his own words from The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien about it:
‘The Lord of the Rings’ is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out practically all references to anything like ‘religion,’ to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and symbolism.” Farther on: ”Certainly I have not been nourished by English literature. … I was brought up in the Classics, and first discovered the sensation of literary pleasure in Homer. Also, being a philologist, (I get) a large part of any aesthetic pleasure that I am capable of from the form of words (and especially from the fresh association of word-form with word-sense). ”
It feels a lot like they are getting away from the original idea of the story. Because if they’re willing to change something fundamental about the books, then who knows what other direction they will take it in. Not sure Tolkien would be happy about this one…
Does it Need Nudity in Today’s World?
While the storyline they are working on is mostly unknown at this time. It seems strange to add nudity to a series that is fundamentally religious and never had it in text. LoTR has always been a great world to enjoy no matter the age of the reader or watcher. It seems like they are trying to turn it into something much more adult, while it could be fun, it just feels fundamentally different than the original stories. It has always been something you can pass down to your children and enjoy with them. Maybe not anymore!
What do you think about adding nudity and sex to the Lord of the Rings? Will you be more likely to watch it or will it make you pass?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
