Details about the series are hazy at best, but we do know they will act as a prequel to the events of The Lord of the Rings, and will be allowed to utilize 'materials' from Peter Jackson's films. What 'materials' means remains left to be seen; they can be referring to props, wardrobes, sets, characters, or even footage. No word yet on any returning characters or actors, which I doubt we'll see.

Though I'm excited for this beyond words, it is all still a little baffling. Thankfully Amazon's show will not be a simple recreation of Jackson's trilogy nor his later Hobbit films, but the deal does not include the rights to The Silmarillion, which means the window of time which this will cover seems like the end of The Hobbit to the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring. Still, Tolkien crafted a massive world full of potential for rich stories and characters, it seems a pretty solid possibility we'll be seeing a bevy of original characters with the occasionally familiar face. And yes, of course, Peter Jackson is in talks to have some sort of role behind the scenes.

SO WHAT AM I WORRIED ABOUT?