Lord of the Rings: Elijah Wood thinks new Amazon series should be renamed

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Elijah Wood is weighing in on the new Amazon Lord of the Rings series and while he seems to support the show would love to appear if it "made sense", the actor is taking issue with the title because it may be a bit confusing for the fans.

Fair Warning: we're about to get pretty nerdy here. Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's beloved Lord of the Rings film trilogy, thinks that Amazon bosses should rethink the series' title because the show has very little to do with J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy series. The show is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth which is before the events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Here is what Wood had to say in a recent interview with "Empire":

"I find it bizarre that they're calling it Lord Of The Rings as a shorthand, because it's not Lord Of The Rings! It takes place in the Second Age of Middle-earth. I am fascinated by what they're doing with the show. They're calling it The Lord Of The Rings, but I think that's slightly misleading. From what I understand, the material they are working on exists chronologically further back in history in lore of Lord Of Things Rings or Middle Earth than any characters represented in Lord Of The Rings. It sounds more Silmarillion era. Not to get nerdy, but it's the Second Age of Middle Earth."

I love the Lord of the Rings movies but I am no follower of the books so I would have no clue when any of this stuff is supposed to take place. I admire Wood for going full nerd on us and letting us know what period the new series will take place in and why it's a little bait and switch to call it Lord of the Rings. At the end of the day, Lord of the Rings is the title that gets eyes on the show so I doubt Amazon is really giving much thought as to what to properly call the show in order to not confuse those choosing to watch.

Even though Wood has issues with the title, the actor explained that he would love to take part in the series if there was a place for him:

"If there was a world where that made sense and organic to what they're doing, then yes. Look, any excuse to get to go to New Zealand to work on something, I am absolutely there."

Do YOU think Amazon should consider a name change?