Man Suing Bezos and ‘Lord of the Rings’ Says There’s “More Than Meets the Eye”

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Orlando Bloom as Legolas

Credit: New Line Cinema

The man behind the unprecedented multi-million dollar lawsuit is coming forward to speak for himself.

Frodo (Elijah Wood) with the One Ring falling onto finger, from Lord of the Rings
Credit: New Line Cinema

Related: Sudden Heart Attack Halts Production of ‘Lord of the Rings’ Spin-Off

The high-fantasy epic series, The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, made its debut in 1954, following the success of the author’s more youth-friendly tale, 1937’s The Hobbit, aimed at younger readers. Since then, Tolkien’s Middle-earth has captivated a wide range of audiences, from comedian and talk show host Stephen Colbert, who is known for his enthusiasm as a mega-nerd, to young kids, adults, and even scholars specializing in Tolkien’s works. Over the years, Tolkien’s impact has continued to expand as new fans are introduced to his older works, including the film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit by Peter Jackson, in the 2000s and 2010s. Time flies, doesn’t it?

Aragorn (left) and Eowyn (right) walking with horses in Lord of the Rings
Credit: New Line Cinema

Now, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings can be seen as the series that sparked a multitude of adaptations, and the trend of expansion shows no signs of stopping, with the latest and most expensive work set in the Tolkien-verse. However, amidst the excitement, there have been bumps in the road. Not only was there a recent hiccup in the form of a sudden heart attack during the filming of the spin-off series last month, but now a new development has emerged in the form of an unprecedented multi-million dollar lawsuit.

Amazon has acquired the rights to much of Tolkien’s universe, in moves that arguably go against the late author’s wishes — but it appears that the rights are even further in contention, as

What is the new The Lord of the Rings spin-off about?

Galadriel (left) and Halbrand (right) charge on horses, Rings of Power
Credit: Amazon

Related: Fans Upset as Amazon’s “God-Awful” ‘Lord of the Rings’ Character Photos Spark Major Debate

The new Amazon Prime series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022), was developed by JD Payne and Patrick McKay in collaboration with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, Harper Collins, and New Line Cinema, the studio behind Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. The series, set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, premiered exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on September 2 of last year. Considering that Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is reportedly a fan of Tolkien’s work, it’s not surprising that the company spared no expense, making it the most expensive TV series ever created with a budget of 1 billion US dollars.

Andy Serkis as Smeagol/Gollum in The Lord of the Rings
Credit: New Line Cinema

In the first season of The Rings of Power, the storyline follows various character arcs, with a significant focus on a younger Galadriel, portrayed by Morfydd Clark, who was originally played by Cate Blanchett in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films. Other well-known characters from Tolkien’s legendarium, such as half-elf Elrond, originally portrayed by Hugo Weaving and now played by Robert Aramayo, also take on pivotal roles. A major twist (spoiler alert!) reveals that Halbrand, played by Charlie Vickers, is actually the Dark Lord Sauron, hinting at darker themes to come.

The series also delves into the adventures of Prince Durin IV (Owain Arthur), Princess Disa (Sophia Nomvete), Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker), Arondir (Ismael Cruz Córdova), Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi), Marigold Brandyfoot (Sara Zwangobani), Largo Brandyfoot (Dylan Smith), Nor/Elanor Brandyfoot (Markella Kavenagh), Míriel (Cynthia Addai-Robinson), Elendil (Lloyd Owen), Pharazôn (Trystan Gravelle), and Isildur (Maxim Baldry). Additionally, Daniel Weyman portrays the stranger, a member of the Istari (wizards) who arrives in Middle-earth through a meteor. Currently, the second season of the show is being filmed in the UK, a departure from previous adaptations, which were filmed in New Zealand.

Who is suing Amazon and The Lord of the Rings, and what is the man saying now?

Aragorn talking to Gandalf in Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Credit: New Line Cinema

Previously, we covered the rather insane lawsuit that writer Demetrious Polychron is aiming at Jeff Bezos, the Tolkien Estate, and other Amazon executives, in a bid to (seemingly) wrangle some of that sweet “copyright infringement” money.

What does the man suing the Lord of the Rings spin-off truly want to set straight? Well it seems that the (allegedly) wronged author is officially coming forward to defend his actions, and also try to get doubters to read his book — if “you are capable of setting your prejudice aside”. Tolkien news source Fellowship of Fans shares Polychron’s comment in response to user John Hudgens who casts doubts on his decision to take Bezos and the Tolkien estate to court, inviting them to have a “meaningful conversation about it” — after reading the book, of course:

🚨Official comment from the actual Demetrious Polychron

(quoted tweet) Demetrious Polychron: You’ll see. There is a lot more to this than meets the eye. If you are capable of setting your prejudice aside, read the book. Then we can have a meaningful conversation about it.

Right now you’re missing a ton of essential facts.

Polychron alleges that there is “more to this than meets the eye” and that the world is currently “missing a ton of essential facts” — that will likely come to light in court proceedings. He doesn’t stop there, however.

The maligned author continues, insisting that people have “less than half the story”:

John Hudgens: Demetrious Polychron wrote Tolkien fanfic a few years ago, self-published it *after* Rings of Power premiered, then sued Tolkien estate and Amazon for ripping *him* off…

He’s now entering the “and find out” phase – lawyers are gonna eat him alive…

Demetrious Polychron: There’s a lot more to it than that. You have less than half the story. You just wait and see when it all comes out. If you really want to know what’s going on, read the book. then we’ll talk.

At this point, it appears that fans of Tolkien and members of the public following this story do not think very positively about Polychron.

User @Another_Chris5 for example, finds it hilarious that Polychron wants people to “buy the book” — essentially “digging his hole deeper”:

What cracks me up is all he says is “read the book”. Which means I have to buy the book. Which is what everyone is saying is the whole point for this “lawsuit”. So all he’s doing is digging his hole deeper in people not taking it seriously.

At the end of the day, only time will tell how much ground Demetrious Polychron actually has to stand on — and whether anything becomes of it.

It will definitely be interesting to see how the Tolkien estate deals with these allegations.

What do you think of this The Lord of the Rings spin-off lawsuit by author Demetrius Polychron? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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