LOTR Prequel

[doug*platypus]

It appears that New Line Cinema has the rights to make a movie of not only The Hobbit, but also another prequel to the LOTR trilogy:

Several years ago, Mark Ordesky told us that New Line have rights to make not just The Hobbit but a second "LOTR prequel", covering the events leading up to those depicted in LOTR.

So, what do Barrow Downers think could or should be shown in this prequel? Should it be shot at the same time as The Hobbit and intercut, thus making two Hobbit movies, or should it stand alone? Should it be set in the Third Age, the Second or even the First? Who should its main characters be? Or is it simply sacrilege to write a new Tolkien-inspired screenplay?

My vote would be for a movie possibly titled The Rings of Power to show the forging of the great rings, Sauron's appearance amongst the elven smiths as Annatar, his forging of the One Ring, and all subsequent events down to the Last Alliance. The Last Alliance scenes could even possibly borrow footage from the prologue for consistency, and simply add to it. The main characters would be Sauron, Celebrimbor, Galadriel, Gil-Galad, Elendil and Isildur. For the last four I would hope that the actors from the trilogy would be brought back on board for the project. The main problem with showing these events would be the need to contain all the Akallabêth within the movie. It would thus have to have four parts, all pretty speedily worked through:

1. The forging of the Great Rings. Sauron as Annatar.

2. The forging of the One Ring. Sauron's war upon the elves of Eregion. Death of Celebrimbor.

3. Sauron's capture and the Akallabêth.

4. Formation of the Last Alliance and the defeat of Sauron.

It would be one long movie, but one I would love to see! Your thoughts?