The Abandoned Lord of the Rings Sequel

[@TheInselaffen]

Surprising how detailed this video is. Some of the other specialist Tolkien channels haven't covered this in as much depth. Well done James for bringing these remenants to life.

[@barryallen871]

Not really that surprising since I could easily change my YT name from Barry Allen to Tolkien Explained. That doesn't mean I know shit about shit.

[@Amy-yf9zc]

@@barryallen871 i'm sure you could quickly get up to speed.

[@hayothegunosaurus]

@@barryallen871 second best Flash behind Wally

[@Gibbypastrami]

@@hayothegunosaurus facts, Wally is the best Flash Not really fair tho, he was in JL and JLU, so he was most people's main flash as children But it goes to show how good of a character Wally is, that Barry got a bunch of his storylines in the CW Flash show

[@hayothegunosaurus]

@@Gibbypastrami Wally was also the Flash for longer than Barry in the comics

[@DylanSunkel]

Did you know that according to his mother, J.R.R Tolkien's original name was Blue Harvest?

[@TheMightofDab]

That was just the name she told doctors so they wouldn't figure out her son was the guy that would write the Middle Earth books

[@skinneybob4984]

I appreciate u for making me laugh out loud.

[@FaTerokiMenra]

Now THAT'S some green trivia

[@mathiaswalker350]

Get out of here! That's coincidentally also the working title for the original Star Wars movie!

[@tygovisser5626]

She only called him blue harvest while she was pregnant, as it was still a working title

[@mrpink1133]

I believe Tolkien specifically asked people to comment on videos as well as like them

[@lyndsaybrown8471]

Yes, yes, you are correct. That was one of the many hidden references within his work.

[@ThreadBomb]

I well remember the ending of Return of the King: _He drew a deep breath. 'Well, I'm back,' he said. 'Please remember to like, subscribe and leave a comment on this book. Also, I have a Patreon!'_

[@planescaped]

My favorite Abe Lincoln moment was his livestream.

[@RuizIV]

I’m so happy that James is actually getting into all the lore

[@JagGentlemann]

Well, he did actually read The Hobbit.

[@ThreadBomb]

@@JagGentlemann "read"

[@MoonlitMike]

@@ThreadBomb ive read the hobbit over 10 times. No literally, over 10 times....

[@ConcordiaJedi]

Thank you so much for letting me be a part of this! I've been watching your channel for years so this has been an amazing experience! Cheers!

[@foamcorner]

You were great!

[@StarWarsElseworlds]

“You have done well my Padawan.”

[@chefcox5552]

I've been watching this channel for decades.

[@NintenDobs]

I've been watching this channel for centuries

[@robindowner666]

I've only started watching, were you the fly?

[@leaftune4427]

That part at the end of Tolkien's letter "I could have written a 'thriller' about the plot and its discovery and overthrow - but it would be just that. Not worth doing", really stands out to me.

[@longwlenguyen4214]

I guess that because Tolkien came to a self awareness when he written the New Shadow that he is literally living in it, our world, a world where magic fade, a world of decay, uncertainty, chaotic, sad, dull, gloom and bland take over which depressed Tolkien since it basically destroy everything his characters fight for in LOTR, and all they achieved will all for nothing, he decided to stop writing because he knows to self constraint.

[@jaytwokay3265]

*Cough cough* Rings of Power

[@rc59191]

@@longwlenguyen4214 it's not all for nothing though. They fought so that humanity alone could destroy each other without outside interference lol.

[@longwlenguyen4214]

@@rc59191 So basically a summary of GRRM ASOIAF.

[@PhoenixRiseinFlame]

6:15 I’m fairly certain Tolkien got the idea of “orc’s work” from the story of St. Augustine’s pears. Augustine steals pears from an orchard with his friends only for them to not eat them and throw them away. This led Augustine to the question of why he would steal pears when no apparent necessity drove him to do so. This act revealed to Augustine that mankind is inherently evil, acting upon the wickedness of their hearts in a manner not always based on logic or need. This revelation ultimately led Augustine to seek out Ambrose which in turn led to his conversion to Christianity.

[@JeffWiersma]

And that’s how Augustine invented the unbiblical heresy of Original Sin. He may have had a decent philosophical mind, but he was a horrible and syncretic theologian.

[@allofthepoints9636]

I usually come here to try say something funny, but I just want to say thanks man. Your videos are so consistently interesting and funny and always brighten my day. So yeah. Just keep up the great work.

[@mrsundaymovies]

Thanks mate much appreciate it that's really kind. I mean this wasn't very funny but aside from that no notes

[@mightymistermike]

@@mrsundaymovies No worries, mate! Very interesting nonetheless.

[@allofthepoints9636]

@@mrsundaymovies I thought it was pretty funny

[@touroleite9920]

You pratts he’s talking about the comment he replied to not his own video

[@allofthepoints9636]

@@touroleite9920 jokes on you, I think Chris Pratt is a very handsome man

[@TheLevarileka]

The Rembrandt etchings were a beautiful touch.

[@mrsundaymovies]

Thank you, that was Matt's idea

[@gascan7333]

I don’t know about everyone else, but I’d certainly be interested in more high fantasy stuff from you James. We all love superheroes and comic books here but I for one would love to see more fantasy themed content. There’s just so much green trivia to learn!

[@danielbeshers1689]

High fantasy because of all that dank pipe weed! ...I'm 40 and lame...

[@ealing456]

Would like some more fantasy stuff in general. Specifically, Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea novels and how Hollywood just cannot for the life of them adapt those stories right.

[@eastvandb]

@@ealing456 LeGuin wrote a great essay just ripping into an adaptation of Wizard of Earthsea. There's an interesting anime adaptation of the third book in the series by Studio Gibli, though.

[@ealing456]

@@eastvandb yeah, I remember reading it. Brilliant. Le Guin never held back on these things, right until the end. Have you seen her speech for the lifetime achievement award for the National Book Foundation? Incredibly biting. I guess I was thinking of the Studio Ghibli version too when I said Hollywood. They didn't really 'get' her work either unfortunately but it is an improvement on that miniseries. And, it dared to adapt a third book in the series to start with, like you said.

[@artemislogic5252]

theyre too lazy to sit through 40 hour audiobooks and do reviews

[@BladedEdge123]

I can understand why he might not have wanted the write such a sequel. A sequel which inherently says the fourth age of Middle Earth ends up being depressingly close to reality in terms of men just cause things like the world wars or the cold war or so on might make sense but it would turn the series into a very different more nihilistic view of things. Like it would color Aragorn returning to be king as a brief positive moment in the otherwise obvious and inevitable decline of man. It would say that Samwise's kids end up homeless, wandering, and losing all of their culture and much of their civilizations maturity. That all the hard fought for battles during Lord of the Rings were ultimately for nothing as all their lessons have been forgot. You could absolutely tell that story and indeed it explains why people think Something Like A Song of Ice and Fire is a spiritual sequel in some ways. But in terms of being a Lord of the Rings style story? I find it hard to explain in a KZbin comment why that feels wrong to me but it does.

[@Tribrachidiumheraldicum]

LOTR is interesting because it is actually supposed to take place in "our reality," but just a few thousand years ago. At the beginning of The Hobbit it's explained that hobbits are even supposed to still be around but that they are just in hiding. If you read the appendixes to the Return of the King it talks about the fourth age being when all the elves are gone and the dwarves eventually go extinct. So even if this story was abandoned, it was always meant for Middle Earth to gradually become less magical until it's just the affairs of men, and eventually they forget about magic and become like us now. So I think the sequel is very appropriately depressing, but could still retain a glimmer of hope inside it, and personally I'm with James that the storyline sounds really interesting.

[@melonthetrue6160]

It depends on how your write it, it could be depressing yes but if you write it with hope and goodness it will balance it out maybe while trying to be a good and fair King Aragon still get rebellion because some evil stil exist in men or you could write this world grounded in reality but with some magic where Good and evil is blur and have Aragon and his son try to live in it this make for a pretty cool tv show if you ask me.

[@ThreadBomb]

@@melonthetrue6160 I agree, it's in how you write it. I was thinking that Tolkien could have taken the "wheel of fortune" as his theme: evil returns, but so does good, both in different forms.

[@longwlenguyen4214]

ASOIAF does kinda felt like a spiritual sequel to LOTR except the Elves are malevolent forces of nature and evil won the hearts of man, also Boromir dies in both the film and tv show.

[@Bronimin]

Wheel of Time did a similar thing, Aviendha saw her bloodline falling to being raiders and vermin, attacking caravans to steal food from the great raven empire which declares war again some time after the books and conquers everything.

[@juandiegoferreira889]

I absolutely hate how the drafts for a new shadow end. So much mystery and amazing writing never gonna be resolved

[@trevorminyard8885]

I agree but I also sorta love the mystery.

[@juandiegoferreira889]

@@trevorminyard8885 I mean it's a good " wonder what he'll wright next mystery lol Not a "you never find out mystery" lol It's the equivalent of ending LOTR the moment Gandalf senses something is up with Bilbo's ring and the done and that's all you get HAHA

[@trevorminyard8885]

@@juandiegoferreira889 nah I think it’s different because the main story and plot have already been resolved. This mystery is just like a tease of the potential future without fully letting you in on it to stimulate your imagination.

[@juandiegoferreira889]

@@trevorminyard8885 yes and no. Because this "tease" were actually drafts for a not book and possibly book series that were goin to serve as the sequel. It's no a "look into the future" or "what if" situation. Again, it like LOTR ended the moment Gandalf started to think that Bilbo's ring is the one. Why? Because the "main story" had been resolved earlier in a book called the hobbit lol. And as we know for a longgg time the hobbit was the main story cause LOTR took a long time to write and be published. So the hobbit isn't a prequel but rather LOTR is the sequel and a new shadow would be the sequel to that. So it's an exact same situation. The main story (hobbit) is complete and it would be just a glimpse of the future (LOTR)... Now if that would have happened, we would have lost the LOTR and would have what we have today and the whole mystery about the one ring and everything it caused (the 3 books) would never have been resolved and known to us.

[@trevorminyard8885]

@@juandiegoferreira889 I am aware, I’m just saying that’s what it feels like to me

[@danielbizzell1447]

As a big time Tolkien fan, I'm so happy that James took the time to make this in depth video. Very westworld of him.

[@ThreadBomb]

Concordia Jedi's voice work was really good! I was wondering if somehow a recording of Tolkien had survived.

[@ConcordiaJedi]

Thank You!

[@anenemystand5582]

Honestly the mystery and menace of just these first few pages is entirely captivating. I'm kind of bummed Tolkein seemed to think it was never a story worth telling.

[@kr1spness]

It almost felt Lovecraftian, but better written. A LoTR sequel having the same jump in maturity and severity as Hobbit to LoTR makes sense, it would basically be an apocalyptic horror movie in the first act.... but I can also see why he thought that was depressing and shelved it. Forget where the quote comes from, but a happy ending is just the writer knowing when to stop.

[@Thenesrookie]

8:00 God I would pay good money for James to recap the Lord of the Rings in this style 😂

[@kurtwagner350]

Yeah, it surprised me how good of a storyteller he is when he’s not Joking around, somewhat soothing voice as well

[@jonasquinn7977]

Something I find interesting about this idea is that Sauron has a history of starting out genuinely trying to establish peace and order and rebuild a world thats constantly going downhill but always ends up going too far and this feels the perfect setup for that

[@kr1spness]

I can see him being brought back by curious young people that are dissatisfied with the world, and he would see that as Men asking him to return and complete his plan because the world has gone to shit in his absence. The plot works, I just don't want anyone to write it because they'll have unchecked capitalists watching over every decision and wanting 6 movies and a tv show.

[@CaptainJ62]

I really love the way Tolkien speaks. His vocabulary is inspiring.

[@tyrin202]

Great video. I love your deep dives. They may not ultimately get the same views as some other videos but they bring something else back to the table that has been largely missing of late.

[@mrsundaymovies]

Appreciate it Matt, thanks for the kind words

[@Tommyisprettyok]

The fly made a cameo on Suggestible too

[@matthewtopping2061]

What a surprising and refreshing topic from what I had assumed was a fandom comedy channel. I'm a Tolkien nerd, but even I had never heard of the unpublished Fourth Age story before. Thank you for this!

[@mrsundaymovies]

Thanks Matthew glad you liked it, appreciate the kind words!

[@nonnayerbusiness7704]

The story of the stolen apple is very reminiscent of the examination of sin by St. Augustine in "The Confessions". As a young man St. Augustine and his friends raided an orchard and stole under-ripe pears and half chewed them and tossed them aside. Augustine dwells on this as an examination of how sinful behavior does not seem to have any essence or direction of its own but rather an absence of forethought, intelligence, compassion and other virtues that give meaning to our actions.

[@jamesbenson9689]

Did you know Tolkien kicked a helmet and yelled out in pain and those events made it into the published LOTR books?

[@kyleowen372]

It wasn't Tolkien it was the actor who played aragorn

[@Windwalker88]

@@kyleowen372 you know what a joke is right?

[@judeconnor-macintyre9874]

@@kyleowen372 Thanks. Really cleared things up.

[@Hallibut]

Awesome to see a LotR lore video like this from my fave channel. Really love the detail youve gone into in this. I'm looking forward to getting Middle-earth content forever now those movie rights are just out there now, I'm sure there will be some half decent content to come.

[@boppob1343]

Really great video with all the detail. I think Tolkien actually agreed with what you said about it being able to be an enthralling story, because he knew he was capable of writing something gripping. It seems that he just found it depressing personally and not very challenging creatively for his art.

[@StarlingInSpace]

James, this type of content told by you is really captivating and I’m sure we’d love to see more like it!

[@newengland707]

James have you considered doing any kind of Audio Book recordings? I honestly think you would be amazing at it.

[@brettsgarage7321]

James, I'm too high to understand most of what you just said but thank you, that was a very thorough explanation.

[@trueblade444]

I loved this video. As much fun as trailer breakdowns are, my favorite content of yours are these more detailed examinations or universes and stories that didn't happen. Plus, it's Middle Earth! I wouldn't be upset if you did more videos on this subject.

[@deetee1763]

These videos without Mason must be the relief that parents feel while their kids are taking a nap.

[@OrderofthePipe]

Tolkien was a master artist. His canvas was the page and his paint, the imagination. The hardest lesson that any artist must learn is to know when to stop working on a specific piece. Even though he continued to dabble in his world of Middle Earth, he never continued to publish those works because he knew that his masterpiece was complete.

[@rossmumper9817]

This video is great, James! I didn’t expect this kind of content from you and it’s pretty impressive.

[@SpiritLife]

This was surprisingly detailed and accurate. James, I love the humor you normally bring, but this showed your deep side which I quite liked.

[@BrandonYap]

Such a great video! James is really channeling his inner teacher!

[@ealing456]

Am I wrong in thinking that James has a teaching certification?

[@duko3000]

It's weird how I haven't abandoned my journey to point out James is old in every video yet

[@RerunTheWizard]

Not weird

[@_its_lunar_]

Old is a very archaic term, they now go by “youthfully challenged”

[@hunterb412]

There was a lot of work and care put into this video. Thank you this was great!

[@comicpop]

This was a delight.

[@mrsundaymovies]

Thanks Sal!

[@joeyreliford705]

Story time, with Mr. Sunday Movies is a brilliant idea ❤️

[@henryhooper933]

As asoiaf goes on it seems (in the books at least) that the world is moving towards a magical era. Any character tied to magic is always going on about “old powers awakening”. I think it might be cool to get something similar in Middle Earth down the line although I don’t think we will get anything that wasn’t written by Tolkien until they’ve completely milked his writings for all they’re worth

[@jacobydangel3411]

Hey, James, I'm a long time subscriber and listener of the podcast. I really enjoyed this video as I do many of your deep dive videos which you clearly put a lot of effort into. I love Middle-Earth probably more than any other films, books, or comics. I'd love to see more LotR content from you even though I know it's not your specialty. I'm reading through all the books again with my wife right now and when we're done we are going to watch the movies. The only thing giving me the power to sit through The Hobbit trilogy again is knowing that once it's over I can watch you boys discuss them in Caravan of Garbage. Cheers, Jacoby

[@yosurushi1427]

Would of been an amazing novel but definitely a good call from Tolkien

[@CHIIIEEEEEEEEFFFFSSS]

The wisecrack video about Tolkien really explains his worldview clearly... Basically he believed that everything is cyclical, but that things deteriorate each cycle. So the same things happen over and over, but they're a little bit worse and darker each time. Fits with this description of the sequel.

[@MixedFeelers]

I feel like we should've gotten this story much sooner. What it pretty much says is, "There's no such thing as 'Happily Ever After', even in epic fiction. Sure, your favorite heroes succeeded in saving the world and all, but that doesn't mean everything will be smooth sailing from then until forever. But even if some old or new evil rises up, it doesn't mean the original fight was for nothing, especially if it inspires the next generation to keep it up." Something Star Wars fans definitely could (have) use(d).

[@АлексейМомот-щ7о]

Nah, Tolkien is right, it's not worth telling

[@adamfillingham]

Really enjoyed this video. Seemed like high effort and I hope it gets the views it deserves

[@felixthinks351]

Am I the only one who really wished they'd just leave middle earth alone? At least with regards to make Middle Earth into the MCU. Like God damn I do NOT want to see an Aragon solo movie with an end-credits scene introducing a younger version of Legolas, with him getting his own tv show on streaming shortly afterwards

[@WoodstarForges]

And on the other hand, I'd love to see.more from middle earth, set in the first age, second age, even the earlier parts of the third age. Wouldn't mind seeing what happens after the fall of sauron either in a sequel story. I love this world and would absolutely love to see more of it explored However I wouldn't care for "X character solo movie" I'd be more interested in stories from different times and different characters etc than solo movies of those we see in LOTR movies.

[@felixthinks351]

@@WoodstarForges yea honestly that's a good enough concession but on the other, other hand. if they were to just make up a new story within the universe they had better have a damn good idea for a compelling story. which i doubt they would. i wouldn't hate a bunch of lotr videogames that adapt certain stories into real time strategy games, cinematic third person adventures, hell even a betheda style rpg set in the first age

[@WoodstarForges]

@@felixthinks351 there's literally 10000s years of stuff happening they can tell stories from.

[@hammbon3367]

I think another part of Tolkien not wanting to write a sequel is because it feel like him "preaching his views." The way he wrote Lord of the Rings was so anyone can interpret it however they wanted to but with the sequel he felt it would be just writing his views and basically be him giving a sermon to the reader. I wanna say I heard or read somewhere that he didn't wanna do that with his writing.

[@h2380]

That's the most fleshed out and interesting take I've found on 'The New Shadow'

[@michaelpopely4408]

James Matt and now Asher hit it out of the park again. Nice one guys

[@ThatRyanD]

James: I've "Read" The Hobbit. 3 weeks later. James: Here's an insanely detailed, meticulously researched account of a middle earth story that could've-been, compiled from the various notes and scribblings of a long-dead author.

[@AnnyMouseyMouse]

My favorite video you've ever done

[@SquatchStudios]

Well done! Really enjoy this style video, and as a Tolkien enthusiast, I am thoroughly impressed by your intelligence on the subject matter!

[@armanmoslehi]

This is wonderful video, great work, great research, super fascinating. Great content as always :))

[@mrsundaymovies]

Very much appreciated thanks Arman!

[@adoniscreed4031]

Damn that Tolkien letter was voiced by a voice actor? Holy shit I thought it was his son reading it aloud 🤣 This guy is good!!!

[@ConcordiaJedi]

Thank you!

[@vincenzobonadonna4556]

I usually don't see your videos so soon, how nice :)

[@ChampagneRugby]

Really loved this James! Thank you good sir!

[@bensneb360]

A The Lord of the Rings sequel… So I assume it follows Sauron‘s granddaughter : Rey Baggins lol

[@J.O.R.D]

I’m here for it 😂

[@emosam07]

"It was too depressing" Said the guy who wrote Children of Hûrin and Beren and Luthién 🤣

[@thriddrummer1995]

A fascinating glimpse into what it must be like as James's kids having a story read to them

[@BenDiPaolo]

"And that old evil is... Corn of Coblin!"

[@unclejoe9660]

new Mr Sunday Movies on a thursday??? time to get that pasketti

[@beardupbeerdown7355]

@0:20 I wasn't expecting this to turn into a Breaking Bad episode, but here we are

[@luckyspurs]

2:58 "As for the Hobbits, they all voted Labour after the war to ensure a National Health Service and council housing for Sam, before Margaret Thatcher came along and destroyed the Shire...oh wait"

[@rockyman1011997]

This is a great video but Maso was actually wrong about Hugh Jackman not coming back as wolverine. That aged well!

[@isaiah5820]

Thanks James! I thought for sure this was a gag about halfway through but by God it was entertaining

[@jesse_reznor]

it is a testament to Tolkian's understanding of human nature that he started writing about a victorious and peaceful world that slowely starts to become complacent and arrogant, and cold. because THATS EXACTLY WHAT FUCKING HAPPENED.

[@DanimalRC]

Thank god I left a like so that at some point in the future Disney can purchase Middle Earth, and inevitably, my rotting corpse.

[@luckyasmr1374]

Goddamn this was a great video! Hats off to everyone behind this!👏

[@ZeldaCDI99]

Just a heads up, this is all to justify James taking the time to actually read 'The Hobbit'.

[@mathiaswalker350]

"read"

[@mrsundaymovies]

You know some people say that listening is the new reading

[@mathiaswalker350]

@@mrsundaymovies You know, some people have forgotten how you promised a big purple laser for the final episode of Moonknight, when it never actually appeared.... other's haven't. You lied to us.

[@47eoghan47]

@@mrsundaymovies I read this video

[@QyfieK]

Boa is at least High diff maybe Extreme. He gets hard countered by the df. You could argue that he’s immune like Luffy or has enough Haki proficiency to resist but I would not. Even though Zoro always gets lost, he’s much more aware of his surroundings than Luffy. He would recognize that Boa is attractive (even if he wouldn’t act on it) which Luffy doesn’t. Zoro also uses Haki like a blunt weapon, swinging it around wildly. I imagine it requires a lot more precision and concentration to cancel out a df. So for now, high diff is very unlikely but the best situation for Zoro.

[@gabe_ed]

Wow, this is actually a great video Thank you beautiful goat man

[@LorenzoDoesntExist]

If they insisted on making a third trilogy, this should definitely be included, as long as people understand that it isn't canon and just a weird experiment. The first film could open with a prologue about the "last battle of the third age," the Battle of Bywater, where Frodo and the gang could cameo defending their home from Orcs and restore a scene that was skipped over in Peter Jackson's films. Then, there'd be a time-skip to the story you just summarized, showing what the fourth age is like. If they're in need of filler, they could add a subplot about defeating Shelob, who was never stated to have died. She could appear in her human form from Shadow of War as fan service. The Hobbit Trilogy has done silliar things. I'd love a throughline of the Second Prophecy of Mandos, another non-caon Tolkien story about Túrin Turambar, the hero destined to defeat Morgoth who suffered so much loss that he gave up living. Morgoth is said to still linger. Túrin's prophesized to someday return and fulfil his destiny by vanquishing Morgoth from the astral plane. It'd make for a visually spectacular finale.

[@TheHumanVoiceBox]

Great video, I was genuinely engaged in the story

[@HerrMittmann]

The basic concept kinda fits our current times. (People forgetting about the evil from 100 years ago).

[@zach6367]

Green trivia. When Amazon bought the rights to create rings of power the working title was actually blue harvest. Coincidentally this was the working title for the original star wars.

[@jmace2424]

I like the theory that the two missing Blue Wizards got brought under Sauron and are setting up a cult for him.

[@otiswhitt1129]

This right here is some fabulous content

[@Gibbypastrami]

Didn't know about his son picking up the torch, that's awesome

[@joshsmith8028]

James, I’m very impressed with that JRR Tolkien impression you did in the middle.

[@ConcordiaJedi]

That was me actually

[@joshsmith8028]

@@ConcordiaJedi Then I must say, you do an amazing impression of Mr Sunday Movies. Also, it’s really throwing a wrench into theories about who really likes fox Maid Marion.

[@guyr3618]

The main issue with this story is that it would essentially just be a less magical retelling of the Akallabeth - men becoming discontented during times of peace after a great victory over evil, falling to corruption and bringing ruin to their own lands.

[@johnb6736]

love this channel

[@joshkaid]

More of this content, please!

[@Willedin]

Really enjoyed that thank you

[@studentessentials4738]

its crazy how far youve gotten in life being a goat I feel like people dont talk abut taht enough

[@mrsundaymovies]

I prefer that people focus on my work and not be distracted by the fact I am a goat

[@studentessentials4738]

@@mrsundaymovies not to come off racially insensitive here but I just feel like you've achieved more than most Goat-kind and I don't want people to think it's some affirmative action or something. You've really done it all by your own two (4?) hooves

[@brendan7704]

It would be interesting to have a story where few remember the days these mythical creatures roamed middle earth. Bridge the gap between that time and the world of man we know. The story doesn’t need to be positive or hopeful to be worthwhile, it can end on a depressing/ negative note.

[@thomaslyons4973]

Apparently the big baddies were gonna be the blue wizards. "The Blue wizards" funnily enough was also the working title of lord of the rings film!

[@Leprechaunproduction]

I thank Eru that we've never gotten a sequel to the Lord of the Rings, and I hope we never will: Do we REALLY want a follow-up to undo everything everyone fought so hard and sacrificed so much to achieve? To show the triumph of mortals over Sauron inevitably fading and being replaced with more wars, more misery, and more suffering? We already got something similar in the Star Wars sequels, and we all know how that turned out; let LOTR be the one fantasy franchise that has ended on a hopeful and satisfying note, and stays that way.

[@Leprechaunproduction]

​@@JRA6192 Fiction is an escape from reality where there are solid, conclusive endings, and they can be happy ones. The problem is that extending a story past it's logical ending - whether positive or negative - almost never works. Just look at Star Wars, the Terminator series, Jurassic Park, Toy Story 4, etc. The Silmarillion, the Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings is about Sauron's attempts to enslave the world, and with his defeat, that story is concluded. To try and go past that would inevitably end with undoing or trivializing everything everyone in those stories went through to defeat Sauron, and are not stories worth telling.

[@АлексейМомот-щ7о]

@@Leprechaunproduction preach

[@MrJakePaddy]

Weird time to get a video but fuck it, bed can wait.

[@yohmsaw]

James should do audio books and add little comments as he reads. I would listen to that all day.

[@henrik7005]

They are taking the hobbits to Fart-engard!

[@NZealand]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 🙇‍♂️💨

[@jordanfenose8554]

It's not like I'm a big Tolkienhead out there (I've read the four main Middle Earth books and some appendices) but I am honestly shocked I have never heard of this before. It sounds like a Lovecraft short story too

[@johnnybigbones4955]

The fact that someone might go and make this makes me feel a bit sad, especially given Tolkien's beliefs around sub creation and so on. I think if he wanted the story untold, that should be respected. But brand is a lot more important than the wishes of some dead guy, so I wouldn't be surprised to see something like this emerge eventually. Mirroring the ideas in the book really - get far enough from Tolkien that no one involved can remember the guy, and it becomes easy to trample on his legacy for money.

[@OtherSideLLC]

just as another suggestion for a series set in a world where the magic is leaving and the world of man is sad and dark since A Song of Ice and Fire will never be finished, The First Law by Joe Abercrombie. Its a total of ten books, the first three (The Blade Itself, Before They are Hanged, and Last Argument of Kings) are a trilogy, the next three (Best Severed Cold, The Heroes, Red Country) are all stand alone novels in the same universe, and the last three (A Little Hatred, The Trouble With Peace, and The Wisdom of Crowds) are a second trilogy set one generation after the original trilogy. Its got all the politicking of ASOIAF but might be more pessimistic about the world and was also inspired by the idea of Gandalf using the One Ring.

[@viktorkiss5442]

Is it that good? I am very intrigued by this suggestion, thanks!

[@OtherSideLLC]

@@viktorkiss5442 I think its phenomenal, but I tend to love cynical, grimy, low fantasy and this fits that like a glove. Stuff like The Lies of Locke Lamora or The Black Company.

[@WorldwideWyatt]

Did you know that the Beatles were in talks to do a Lord of the Rings movie with Stanley Kubrick, it was gonna be called “The Lord of the Rings: Blue Harvest”

[@countmarkula1993]

I understand why Tolkien did not follow through with the sequel. Lord of the Rings has a great ending. However, this sequel sounds like an awesome thriller story. The components are interesting to me on their own, but set in a post-Sauron LOTR setting makes it even better. I almost want to write a fan adaptation of it, but I could never come close to writing like Tolkien.

[@Yukiwodashite]

Interesting solo video is always!

[@killerhertzmercedes]

Didn't Tolkien famously write the lord of the rings novels whilst wearing Mack Weldon undergarments?

[@tylerwhiting9198]

Probably a dumb question since I haven’t gotten a chance to actually watch the video yet but who’s the character with the gold mask in the thumbnail for this video? Looks sick!

[@StrawberrySoaps]

Many consider A Song of Ice and Fire to be the spiritual successor to the Lord of the Rings. Much like the Dune series, it’s a shame that we will never see the true ending to that series as A Song of Ice and Fire will most likely end with the sixth book, The Winds of Winter.

[@melvinlinderoth7108]

That is true luckily there are plenty of other great fantasy books out there and all of them own some of their influence to Tolkien.

[@TheMightofDab]

Why do they though? ASOIAF is Grimdark. Surely the Wheel of Time is much closer to the tone of Lord of the Rings

[@sanderflop]

@@TheMightofDab the show was grimdark. The books are much more romantic and sincere, the story is just subversive

[@MasterIceyy]

@@TheMightofDab Tbf just by that 13 page extract, this sequel had the potential to get just as grimdark as ASOIAF. That's precisely why Tolkien stopped writing it. He even details about how Aragorn's descendants would be terrible kings, and governors like Denethor or worse, how the people would become unsatisfied and more ambitious for more, it's pretty much GoT 101. Add in the intrigue he conjured up in just 13 pages, it had potential to be very ASOIAF-like.

[@101Mant]

@@sanderflop you must have read a different version of tbe books from me, they were every big bit as grimdark as tbe TV show, just less condensed so nastiness was a little more spread out.

[@oscarm4095]

Wow. James is getting sucked into the lore and majesty of Tolkien after having "READ" the Hobbit . I LOVE IT!

[@StabworthyHeadquarters]

This wouldn't be as much fun without the Australian accent