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Disney negotiating the LOTR rights!
- Thread starter Jphaddad96
- Start date
erasure fan1
Well-Known Member
It would be tough nut to crack. There is no chance you could go the galaxys edge route. You would need to use Potter as your blueprint. You would need the iconic locations like the shire, saruman's tower... The rides would be the hard part. Nothing in the movies really screams ride. Of course I wouldn't mind a ride in the style of the great movie ride where you journey from the shire to Mordor.
vikescaper
Well-Known Member
They could build a Middle Earth land in one of the parks and it could have a Mordor area. As part of this expansion, they will also build a fully immersive Shire themed hotel adjacent to the land. There could then be excursions from the Shire hotel to the Mordor section to destroy the One Ring…..
Smooth
Well-Known Member
How about a two night experience where you are the hero? You and your group will embark on a first-of-its-kind Hobbit adventure that’s your own. It’s the most immersive Lord of the Rings story ever created—one where you live a bespoke experience and journey further into a Lord of the Rings adventure than you ever dreamed possible.
Spend two nights in your own Hobbit hole. Meet all of you favorite Middle Earth characters. End each day with a bowl full of pipe-weed.
Spend two nights in your own Hobbit hole. Meet all of you favorite Middle Earth characters. End each day with a bowl full of pipe-weed.
James Alucobond
Well-Known Member
I mean, the entire schedule could just be breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner, and supper. No excursion needed.
Fox&Hound
Well-Known Member
Yeah I enjoy LotR but I am not sure every big franchise needs a theme park rendition. They should wait and see what Amazon does with its Rings of Power show. The backlash is pretty bad on that and it hasn't even come out yet. I think people are tired of beloved franchises being destroyed and Disney is certainly not immune to that. Maybe just leave this one alone....
choco choco
Well-Known Member
The current Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film series are firmly Warner Bros properties. Buying the rights from Saul Zaentz might include residuals and royalties from the New Line/Warner Bros conglomerate, but Disney cannot use anything WB made without striking some sort of separate agreement.
My understanding is New Line still has their license, which is why WB is making new Lord of the Rings content. On the surface, the rights seem very restrictive, strictly covering only the two books, so I'm not sure how WB can go about making that new animated movie. Regardless, Disney wouldn't have much content to work with here short of making movies that are about what Peter Jackson already made movies about. A remake, which we all know is Disney's modus operandi these days.
My understanding is New Line still has their license, which is why WB is making new Lord of the Rings content. On the surface, the rights seem very restrictive, strictly covering only the two books, so I'm not sure how WB can go about making that new animated movie. Regardless, Disney wouldn't have much content to work with here short of making movies that are about what Peter Jackson already made movies about. A remake, which we all know is Disney's modus operandi these days.
Close.
Casper Gutman
Well-Known Member
This would be absolutely awful. Disney vastly shortchanges most of the many, many IPs they already own - look at the miserable Avengers Campus, based on the most successful franchise in film history. There are so many Disney-owned properties that deserve lands, let alone rides, they don’t need any more.
If you want to see Tolkien done justice, it needs to go to Universal, which is desperate for theme-park-friendly franchises and is expanding aggressively.
This goes to Universal, you get multiple rides across multiple highly-detailed lands. This goes to Disney, you (eventually, maybe) get one cost-cut ride shoved into a park where it doesn’t fit.
If you want to see Tolkien done justice, it needs to go to Universal, which is desperate for theme-park-friendly franchises and is expanding aggressively.
This goes to Universal, you get multiple rides across multiple highly-detailed lands. This goes to Disney, you (eventually, maybe) get one cost-cut ride shoved into a park where it doesn’t fit.
I agree with this, I prefer Universal before Disney having a LOTR land... I remember when Disney bid for the Wizaring World of Harry Potter making a modest land in Magic Kingdom that it was awful compared to what Universal built. Epic Universe needs a strong franchise to compete with Star Wars G.E.
Relevant article in Variety last month covering these rights being up for sale and the scope that they cover:
variety.com
The rights for the Amazon series are as mentioned fairly restrictive in scope and was a deal made directly with the Tolkien estate, which has become less protective of the property since the passing of J.R.R.’s son Christopher, who had been in control of the estate following his fathers death. I have no idea where the theme park rights would fall in the scope of things, but any adaptation referencing the production design of the Jackson films would certainly need to be negotiated with New Line and possibly the estate as well.
The idea that there could be a D+ series covering some aspect of middle earth doesn’t seem all that impossible, but a completely buy-out of all things ‘Tolkien’ ala Star Wars seems highly unlikely. There’s just too many players, it’s not at all like just cutting George a check.
‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ Film and Gaming Rights Up for Sale (EXCLUSIVE)
Movie and gaming rights to 'Lord of the Rings,' 'The Hobbit' and other J.R.R. Tolkien titles have been put up for sale by Saul Zaentz Co.
variety.com
The rights for the Amazon series are as mentioned fairly restrictive in scope and was a deal made directly with the Tolkien estate, which has become less protective of the property since the passing of J.R.R.’s son Christopher, who had been in control of the estate following his fathers death. I have no idea where the theme park rights would fall in the scope of things, but any adaptation referencing the production design of the Jackson films would certainly need to be negotiated with New Line and possibly the estate as well.
The idea that there could be a D+ series covering some aspect of middle earth doesn’t seem all that impossible, but a completely buy-out of all things ‘Tolkien’ ala Star Wars seems highly unlikely. There’s just too many players, it’s not at all like just cutting George a check.
jasminethecat
Well-Known Member
I have some solid plans for LOTR at disney world...
Hear me out on this one, totally rework tom sawyer island, replace the existing steamboats with elvish sailing ships, make giant statues of kings along the riverbends, put some orcs in the woods and a hidden mickey somewhere, then make a new ride behind it's a small world, there's space in the woods there behind that and haunted mansion. Why would this work? Because it would hold a lot of people in a currently under-used area and transportation would have to be used to get there so they could sell it as two rides.
Another crappier idea - blow up and replace dinosaur land at animal kingdom and the dinosaur ride too, unless they make an attraction where you lie down on the seat backs and pretend that orcs are carrying you like a hobbit and shake the literal crap out of you. Sorry not a fan of that ride since i am over 40 and i try to respect my spinal cord, but maybe it would be more fun if the ride actually bends you over. (Yes I typed that intentionally.)
Final idea - middle earth gets a pavilion at EPCOT's world showcase with a king's court buffet for lunch and dinner, and a ride. You know they could sell a million toy swords and shields there, just respray junk from pirates because knights and rangers can use a cutlass, i think. Just spray the blades baby blue and it will sell as a magic elven sword. Make up some plastic chainmail armor, paint it gold for mithril in this area and silver to sell it in star wars land as "baby grogu beskar armor for kids of all ages". And make that stuff in infant sizes for the idiots who bring newborns (or grogu dolls) to disney, that's a virtually untapped market!
Hear me out on this one, totally rework tom sawyer island, replace the existing steamboats with elvish sailing ships, make giant statues of kings along the riverbends, put some orcs in the woods and a hidden mickey somewhere, then make a new ride behind it's a small world, there's space in the woods there behind that and haunted mansion. Why would this work? Because it would hold a lot of people in a currently under-used area and transportation would have to be used to get there so they could sell it as two rides.
Another crappier idea - blow up and replace dinosaur land at animal kingdom and the dinosaur ride too, unless they make an attraction where you lie down on the seat backs and pretend that orcs are carrying you like a hobbit and shake the literal crap out of you. Sorry not a fan of that ride since i am over 40 and i try to respect my spinal cord, but maybe it would be more fun if the ride actually bends you over. (Yes I typed that intentionally.)
Final idea - middle earth gets a pavilion at EPCOT's world showcase with a king's court buffet for lunch and dinner, and a ride. You know they could sell a million toy swords and shields there, just respray junk from pirates because knights and rangers can use a cutlass, i think. Just spray the blades baby blue and it will sell as a magic elven sword. Make up some plastic chainmail armor, paint it gold for mithril in this area and silver to sell it in star wars land as "baby grogu beskar armor for kids of all ages". And make that stuff in infant sizes for the idiots who bring newborns (or grogu dolls) to disney, that's a virtually untapped market!
BasiltheBatLord
Well-Known Member
This was a constant rumor back in the mid-2000s, IIRC there was a bidding war between Disney and Universal for LotR and one of them got really close to closing the deal but it ended up not happening. This was before Universal got Potter I believe.
JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
Three mountains and a mine
Indy_UK
Well-Known Member
I can see it working for Disney in every way except theme parks but then again, not every IP has to go into the parks. It’s a solid IP that would go aside Avatar at the box office but I bet Amazon will be going for the IP instead big time and over the $2 billion valuation
Phicinfan
Well-Known Member
Yes they could, but I just don't see the fit. Not sure LOTR screams Disney. At least Star Wars has light and dark and hero story line. LOTR has good and evil, but a very dark kind of evil that just isn't old Disney cup of tea
Phicinfan
Well-Known Member
Well if I said Adult view... the posts here would have been way too many
. I don't disagree that this genre hits older people. I just think this is a bit way too dark for Disney, at least old Disney. I love the LOTR and would love to see an immersive land, but not shoe horned in or just one ride.