What's the story? As Sauron's power grows in Mordor and he attacks Elendil's "kingdoms in exile", Gondor and Arnor, a Last Alliance of Elves and Men is formed between Elendil and the Elvish King Gil-galad (with a little help from the dwarves of Moria and the wood elves of the Greenwood). Sauron's forces are defeated at the Battle of Dagorlad, but the alliance lose many of their soldiers in the Dead Marshes, leading to a final siege and assault on the Dark Lord's fortress of Barad-Dur. Why should it be filmed? The epic battle that occurs in the prologue to Peter Jackson's first Lord of the Rings film has already given audiences a tantalising glimpse of what a film of the Last Alliance might look like and the potential for actual hand to hand combat with Sauron himself. After The Hobbit, if there are any likely to be further prequels then this is the next story back that would make sense, offering an earlier stage in the story of the Ring, the ancestors of Aragorn and an early appearance from Elrond as one of Gil-galad's chief lieutenants. It would also include the death of Thranduil's father in a reckless attack on Mordor that makes results in Thranduil inheriting the throne, a plot that helps explain some of his closed off caution in The Hobbit. Why shouldn't it be filmed? The only reason for Jackson, or anyone else, not to make this movie would be the sense of re-treading old ground and the idea that the story had already been told adequately in the material that already exists. Although the same could be said for The Hobbit, whose story The Lord Of The Rings already made clear and yet was still adapted into three separate features. What about you, Middle Earth fans? Are you happy to make The Battle Of The Five Armies your final visit to Middle Earth or are you desperately awaiting the film dramatisation of Bandobras Took's invention of golf? Let us know in the comments.
