The blockbuster deal for Amazon to produce a television series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings (see "'LOTR,' Roundup"), announced just this week, may be only the beginning of a new wave of licensing of Tolkien properties.  Christopher Tolkien, 93, resigned his position at the Tolkien Estate on August 31, according to TheOneRing, and the new management of the Estate is more amenable to expanding the licenses.

Christopher Tolkien was the steward of the rights to the Tolkien properties for many years, managing the Tolkien Trust’s license to produce the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings films, the litigation against New Line over profits from the films (see "'LOTR' Lawsuit Settled"), and the license to produce the Hobbit films.

Now for the first time, a TV series has been authorized, and there could be much more based not only on the core works of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, but also of Tolkien’s other works.  Categories could also be expanded and incorporate a broader range of expressions of the properties.