The Silmarillion: The Movie

Sorry to get your hopes up guys( ), although I wish they were making one. So how exactly would they make this movie? I see many problems that would arise in the event someone would attempt to do this:
1) The book covers a HUGE amount of time. It is nearly impossible to cover that much time in 2, or even 3 hrs.
2) The book is separated into many different stories. Although it is helpful that they all are closely linked.

Who makes these LoTR movies? Maybe we should e-mail them a petition for a Silmarillion movie

Believe it or not I've done a lot of pondering about this subject. I've decided that if you were to leave everything in between the Ainulindale and The War of Wrath, filling holes necessarily, doing a lot of research for accuracy, using background stories (what there is of Of Tuor and The Fall of Gondolin, Narn I Hin Hurin, etc.), you could make about 13 two-two 1/2 hour movies! That's a lot of story.

I am afraid something on this scale would probably not be attempted. Quite frankly I would be a little worried if someone said they got the license and they were going to make a movie (hopefully atleast they would say 'movies') based on The Silmarillion.

I think to make a movie for the Akallabeth and Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age would be even harder.

Still, I think audiences would appreciate one movie based on Beren and Luthien or the Narn I Hin Hurin. I'd love to see the Narn on the silver screen. &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp
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I believe a movie ONLY on the story of these two, since it is one of the largest chapters in the book, would be able to entertain a large spectrum of audiences.

Although, I think the longest movie ever made was 89 hrs. (I am not sure on that one, I checked Guiness Book of World Records Homepage and found nothing), so why not turn those 13 2.5 hr. movie into one gigantic 30 hr. movie! At least I would watch it.

The story of Beren and Luthien would make a fine movie.

I always thought that if anything at all was done, the Silmarillion would be an epic series.... like Babylon 5.

I haven't read The Silmarillion yet (I'm only on The Hobbit so far), but I felt it was OK for me to speak up in this thread. Judging by the vastness of The Silmarillion, from what you all are saying about it, maybe they could do like a long television miniseries? Y'know, something like North and South maybe. ::shrug::

A TV series! Please take a few moments and imagine how horrible that would be.

Yeah, I know, but I don't think they'd do a whole long string of movies just for one book.

Randy-- You'll take that back when you read it

Hehe...yeah, probably.

Making a movie based on any part of the Silmarillion would be a foolish endeavor. The background would be glossed over to the point of making the movie the entire battle against good and evil rather than just a part of the larger struggle. It would be pointless.

Only a few of the tales would be filmable. The Tale of Beren and Luthien, the Narn i Hin Hurin, the Fall of Gondolin, and the Downfall of Numenor/Last Alliance of Men and Elves could be filmed. The Darkening of Valinor as well.

It could be done, as a series of movies that told parts of the story. Think Star Wars Saga. Separating out the Lay of Leithan (Luthien and Beren) and the Narn i hin Hurin and the breaking of the Two Trees + the Exile would be a good way to keep focus. Trouble is, I don't know if the production companies would find it profitable enough to take a risk on such a saga. Perhaps we should form the Entmoot Film group and do it ourselves.

There ya go Rogue

If we all banded together and got all our pocket change together...well...never mind...

Sephiroth, would not making a movie based off just a part of the larger struggle be the goal? Or rather, a string of movies, each based off one of the parts in the story?

Admiral, I disagree. You would have to fill in spots with more dialogue and character content and if you do it could work.

The way I see it, filling in holes and using background info like I said, the 13 two or three hour movies (app) would contain content corresponding to the following chapters (but I must stress other material would be used):

First movie
.....Ainulindale (includes content found in Valaquenta)
.....Of the Beginning of Days
.....Of Aule and Yavanna
.....Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor
Second
.....Of Thingol and Melian
.....Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalie
.....Of Feanor and the Unchaining of Melkor
Third
.....Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor
.....Of the Darkening of Valinor
Fourth
.....Of the Flight of the Noldor
.....Of the Sindar
Fifth
.....Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor
.....Of Men
Sixth
.....Of the Return of the Noldor (14th chapter not really needed)
.....Of the Noldor in Beleriand
.....Of Maeglin
Seventh
.....Of the Coming of Men into the West
.....Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin
Eighth
.....Of Beren and Luthien
Ninth
.....Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad (elements from this would be used in the following)
Tenth
.....Of Turin Turambar (the beginning of the next would be briefly told at the end of this, and elaborated further in the next)
Eleventh
.....Of the Ruin of Doriath
Twelfth
.....Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin
Thirteenth
.....Of the Voyage of Earendil and the War of Wrath

IMHO, excellent divisions and layout, Inoldonil. Where do we get the material to fill in holes, HOME or elsewhere? Is the dialougue in the Silmarillion, sufficiently explicative, and how much do we need to add if any? Anyone?

IMHO, excellent divisions and layout, Inoldonil. Where do we get the material to fill in holes, HOME or elsewhere?

HOME, Unfinished Tales, some Letters, yes. Ideally for me you would have to study it, so as to try to get accuracy.

I feel one would definitely need to expand on the dialogue, in some places you would need to put it in period. We have some examples of dialogue in background stuff, in The Shibboleth of Feanor (published Vol. XII of HoME), to give an example, there is good material for filling up my proposed Second and Third movies, and dialogue. I think one would definitely need a narrator, whatever the case.

But the narrator couldn't sound all distant, like a brief commentator with no identity who makes sure you don't get lost. In the latest LOTR BBC adaptation, the story fades out when the narrator speaks, mainly to summarize large expanses of time. As a result, visual things are related by the characters and it becomes a little silly. A narrator for Silmarillion movies would have to sound interactive with the movie, it wouldn't change this or that, but would sound present with the story, like an observer with deeper insight into what is going on.&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp
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HOME?
What's that?

History of Middle-earth (series).

I learn there are more and mpore books about Middle-earth every day it seems

Is there a web-site where I can find a complete list of every book by and about tolkien and his books?