Soon we are going to face the collective suffering known as the “Rings of Power,” and with increasing fear the idea for this article emerged. Mainly because the two worlds built by Tolkien and Herbert share some very similar characteristics. Fans of the creativity of these gentlemen also have some similar characteristics. And the production of the adaptation will struggle with similar problems. And yet, even now I know that while Dune has made it – the Rings of Power will be a failure that will infuriate many fans of Tolkien’s work. Myself included.
“The book is more intellectual. Here, I tried to make a more visceral adaptation to the book. When I read the book at 13 years old, it was a visceral experience. Later on, when I read the book more and more, I became more intellectual, but I tried to reconnect with that viscerality“
Denis Villeneuve
“We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Amazon to bring it to life anew. We feel like Frodo, setting out from the Shire, with a great responsibility in our care — it is the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime.”
J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay
First, let’s talk about the captains of the production ship. Denis Villeneuve is a famous director, with some very good movies under his belt. He directed Sicario, Blade Runner and Arrival. His profile on IMdB lists a huge number of awards and nominations that are living proof of the director’s experience. And the above quote clearly shows that he had read the book – the source material – several times, and that Dune was a project he cared about.
In comparison, J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay – their IMdB profiles are empty. The only known titles they’ve touched are Star Trek: Beyond (2016) and Jungle Cruise. Jesus Christ … I just wrote an article about The Witcher, showing the dubious quality of the showrunners’ output. And it looks even worse here. All media messages they provide are dry and generic. Just like the one above. They don’t seem to be excited about the production, I don’t feel that they appreciate the incredible material they got to work with. And I’m betting they haven’t read The Silmarillion.
The Dune itself is a complicated material. It is a comprehensive sci-fi novel that touches upon so many sociological, geoploitic, religious, psychological and philosophical themes. In addition, its implementation required a huge effort put into the creation of the world. But if Dune was an implementation boulder, the Silmarillion is a mountain. Reading a history of Middle-earth is demanding and certainly not for everyone. Not reading the book, on the pther hand always guarantees the lack of understanding of the material. Unfortunately, producers in Hollywood still lack this basic knowledge.
Both universes carry a huge burden of understanding the source material. And the writers of Jungle Cruise do not seem to be properly qualified to entrust them with the production of Tolkien’s works. It is a universe studied all over the world by hundreds of people. Some get their PhDs. They obtain their doctorate on “legal papers”. Simarillion has no dialogue or detailed descriptions. It is practically a historical encyclopedia of Middle-earth.
And not only the worlds created by writers are problematic. Their fan perception is even more complicated. The Dune fandom is one of the most neurotic there is. Or maybe it seems to be like that, because some people find it hard to understand the jokes about worms and the emperor. They are not as open people like the Star Wars fandom. Either you understand them or you don’t.
In turn, Tolkien’s work seems to be very popular, or at least was popularized by the Peter Jackson adaptation. And at the same time, only some fans can say that they have read all of his works. The fandom is also extremely divided. The infamous 2021 summer seminar titled ‘Tolkien and Diversity’ did not help. Talking about the sexuality of Tolkien’s heroes was simply distasteful for some. I definitely belong to people who think that.
A great machine of inclusiveness and diversity, which in fact is a nicely dressed monster, has reached Middle-earth and divided the fans. And now it will roll through the series, trying to destroy the Professor’s achievements. The mentions of hiring sex scene consultants for the show only confirm the fans’ worst fears.
Another thing to mention is that Lynch’s Dune was an interesting experiment. Which we can nowdays most generously describe as interesting. On the other hand, The Lord of the Rings by Peter Jackson is a masterpiece to this day. If someone asked me about the best adaptation, I would say: LOTR. And this is a damn high bar for the producers of the series.
Summarizing all the signs in heaven and earth clearly indicate that the Rings of Power will be a total flop, not worth our time. Unfortunately, we will have to drink this cup of bitterness and watch the terrible creation. At the same time, we will definitely need to be thoroughly anesthetized with moonshine. I know it, you know it and Bezos knows it. His official photo with the show’s marker, with that filthy smug face on his face, is simply disgusting. He looks like someone who bought Middle-earth and is choking on his own contentment. Phe!
