Are There Still Any Plans of Building Lord of the Rings Middle of the Earth?

The IP rights are tied up with Tolkien's son, and he's not budging. Nothing's happening.

The Tolkien estate is in litigation with the studios on royalties. Nothing will happen until royalties are resolved.

It needs to happen , NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, it has something to do with the theme park rights not being part of the current licensing deal, and his estate was not willing to do any kind of new deal that does include it. It's a bummer because a Middle Earth land would have been amazing

How large would the cut between the parks and estate have to be in order for the deal to go through? Could never happen if the economics aren't there.

I have always heard the Tolkien himself did not like Walt Disney the person. So his family would not be dealing with Disney. Universal was rumored to be asking Rowling to speak with his heirs. I would love it in Orlando but feel Merlin at the end of the day is the most likely home for the franchise in an attraction or park in England.

Popeye's Bilge Rat = Bilbo's Barrel Adventure

Tolken did not like Walt Disney personally.

The way you phrased your question is wrong. There have never been any plans to build a Lord of the Rings land at any theme park, so there can't "still" be plans. If anything is ever built, it'll be many, many years from now considering the reticence of the rights owner to agree to anything.

Not necessarily true Tony. I know that Universal was actually exploring the possibility of a LOTR land at their Islands Of Adventure at one time. Of course nothing came of it, but there were definitely talks about it.

I believe what you say Ray, but until some kind of agreement between the rights owner and a park happens, it is just speculation by designers. I am sure there are countless "plans" for unsecured IPs in park designers workrooms just waiting for some future contract to happen.

Just to chime in, Tolkien wasn't fond of Disney, but he never had an outright despite for the man. This idea is usually confused with C.S. Lewis, who publicly stated his disdain for Walt based on the idea that he routinely bastardized and homogenized fairy tales from their original iterations into their 'Disneyfied' versions.

Blake, Tolkien more or less hated Disney. The following are direct quotes:

"to veto anything from or influenced by the Disney studios (for all whose works I have a heartfelt loathing")

"...He has sent me some illustrations (of the Trolls and Gollum) which despite certain merits, such as one would expect from a German, are too 'Disnified' for my tastes: Bilbo with a dribbling nose, and Gandalf as a figure of vulgar fun rather than the Odinic wanderer that I think of..."

"I am sorry about The Pied Piper. I loathe it. God help the children! I would as soon give them crude and vulgar plastic toys. Which of course they will play with, to the ruin of their taste. Terrible presage of the most vulgar elements in Disney."

Skip: Sure sounds to me like Tolkien hated Disney. Those quotes are truly telling.

Yeah... That doesn't mean he hated Disney. He just didn't seem to like his creative direction. Which many people didn't like his creative input, but didn't necessarily dislike Disney himself.

"...He has sent me some illustrations (of the Trolls and Gollum) which despite certain merits, such as one would expect from a German, are too 'Disnified' for my tastes: Bilbo with a dribbling nose, and Gandalf as a figure of vulgar fun rather than the Odinic wanderer that I think of..."

I wonder if Disney sent those under his pen name Ralph Bikshi.

I didn't mean Tolkien hated Disney the man, that he hated Disney the entity and their form of fiction.

I read somewhere that Tolkein hated how overpriced the drinks are at CityWalk's CowFish.