iWorld
Amazon acquires Lord of the Rings rights for TV
MUMBAI: Amazon acquired the global television rights to The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), based on the celebrated fantasy novels by JRR Tolkien, with a multi-season commitment. Set in middle earth, the adaptation will explore new storylines preceding Tolkien’s first novel of the series The Fellowship of the Ring. The deal includes a potential additional spin-off series.
Amazon Studios will produce the upcoming Amazon Prime original in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros Entertainment.
Amazon Studios head of scripted series Sharon Tal Yguado said, “LOTR is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen. We are honored to be working on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking LOTR fans on a new epic journey in middle earth.”
Tolkien Estate and Trust and HarperCollins representative Matt Galsor said, “Sharon and the team at Amazon Studios have exceptional ideas to bring to the screen previously unexplored stories based on JRR Tolkien’s original writings. We are delighted that Amazon, with its longstanding commitment to literature, is the home of the first-ever multi-season television series for LOTR.”
A world-renowned literary work, and winner of the International Fantasy Award and Prometheus Hall of Fame Award, LOTR novels was named Amazon customers’ favorite book of the millennium in 1999 and Britain’s best-loved novel of all time in BBC’s The Big Read in 2003. Its theatrical adaptations, from New Line Cinema and Director Peter Jackson, earned a combined gross of nearly $6 billion worldwide. With an all-star cast that included Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin and Orlando Bloom, the LOTR trilogy garnered a combined 17 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
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iWorld
Prime Video to stream Tamil thriller Exam from May 15
Seven-episode series from National Award-winner A. Sarkunam streams in India and 240-plus countries
MUMBAI: Prime Video announced on April 27th that Exam, a taut seven-episode suspense drama set against the crucible of high-stakes competitive testing, will premiere on May 15th in India and across more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Written and directed by A. Sarkunam, a National Award-winner, the series is produced under the Wallwatcher Films banner by the creative duo Pushkar and Gayatri, who have previously delivered Suzhal: The Vortex (both seasons) and Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie for the platform. Dushara Vijayan and Aditi Balan lead the cast, with Abbas in a pivotal role.
The show will stream in Tamil with dubbed versions in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada, and subtitles in 15 languages, including English, a distribution sweep that underscores Prime Video’s push to globalise Indian regional content.
Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India, framed the series as both timely and commercially astute. “Exam is a very timely and relevant story that captures the emotional intensity of competitive exams and masterfully transforms it into a thrilling high-stakes drama,” he said. “We believe it is a story that will resonate deeply with millions.” Madhok noted that it was a privilege to once again collaborate with Pushkar and Gayatri following the success of Suzhal and Vadhandhi.
For Pushkar and Gayatri, the series is as much a moral reckoning as a thriller. “With Exam, we wanted to dig into ambition, injustice, and those moral crossroads that people face when pushed to the edge,” the creative producers said. “At the heart of this story is a young woman who refuses to remain powerless. Her journey is not about glamorising defiance, but about exploring the emotional and ethical cost of standing up to a system stacked against her.” They described Prime Video as “an incredible collaborator” and “the perfect home” to bring the series to global audiences.
Wallwatcher Films, which Pushkar and Gayatri founded and run, has been on a productive streak with the platform. Beyond Exam, the company is also readying Vadhandhi Season 2 for Prime Video, making the duo one of the platform’s most active regional creative partners.
The real exam, it seems, is for Prime Video itself: can a Tamil drama about systemic injustice and a young woman’s defiance crack audiences from Chennai to Chicago? If Pushkar and Gayatri’s track record is anything to go by, the answer is likely yes, and the results will be out on May 15th.
