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

June 11, 2015, 8:37 AM

Has there been any word of this ever being built? Or is it just pie in the sky?

Replies (18)

June 11, 2015, 9:23 AM

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

June 11, 2015, 9:58 AM

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

June 11, 2015, 10:13 AM

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

June 11, 2015, 3:33 PM

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

June 11, 2015, 7:04 PM

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.

June 12, 2015, 6:49 AM

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.

June 13, 2015, 10:20 AM

Popeye's Bilge Rat = Bilbo's Barrel Adventure

June 18, 2015, 5:05 AM

Tolken did not like Walt Disney personally.

June 18, 2015, 1:21 PM

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.

June 19, 2015, 5:44 AM

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.

June 19, 2015, 10:56 AM

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.

June 24, 2015, 11:25 AM

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.

June 24, 2015, 12:38 PM

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."

June 24, 2015, 12:59 PM

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

June 24, 2015, 1:23 PM

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.

June 24, 2015, 1:52 PM

"...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.

June 24, 2015, 2:18 PM

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

June 25, 2015, 11:39 AM

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

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