5 Season Lord Of The Rings Series Will Start With Young Aragorn

Amazon Studios has exclusively won the rights to produce spinoffs from the original books and films, and they won't be holding back as it is expected to be the most expensive series ever created. They will be working with New Line Cinema, the studio who worked on Peter Jackson's trilogy of films.

Game of Throne's HBO and the popular streaming service Netflix were beaten to the chase after a $250 million deal ultimately swayed the author's estates. It is rumoured that the first of the five series confirmed in the agreement will be solely based on Aragorn's early life, who played a pivotal part in the main story.

Using Tolkien's notes that were drafted during the creation of his novels rather than ideas pulled from the actual books, the TV show will expectedly focus on a different character each season so there's going to be chance all your other favourite characters will be on the list too.

Although the story won't have come from the original story, there might be a few familiar faces who appear in this LOTR timeline. Gandalf, portrayed by the one and only Sir Ian McKellen, told BBC Radio 2 how he'd hate to see another actor try and fill the shoes of the legendary wizard.

He said: "What do you mean, another Gandalf?" when asked about a possible recasting. "I haven't said yes because I haven't been asked. But are you suggesting that someone else is going to play it? Gandalf is over 7,000 years old, so I'm not too old."

Two actors have definitely ruled themselves out of a second trip to Middle Earth, however. Gimli actor John Rhys Davis and Andy Serkis who played Gollum have expressed their desire to stay clear. This all begs the question as to who will play the mysterious Aragorn or Strider if you will, which he will likely be called at some point during the show.

The Hollywood Reporter has stated that Amazon Studios have laid themselves down for five seasons, with the possibility of even more, which should start to come to life within the next couple of years. Let's hope it's sooner rather than later.

Words by: Matthew McGalddery