8 Stories Amazon's Lord Of The Rings Could Tell

The Hobbit movies took place 60 years prior to the events of Lord of the Rings, so perhaps the TV show could continue working backwards and delve into some of the epic events that set up the prequel trilogy.

Although much of the Dwarven history comes from appendices, passing references and Tolkien's notes, there's more than enough lore there to spin an epic tale that sets up the events of An Unexpected Journey.

The show could begin in Khazad-dum, where the Dwarfs are mining deeply and greedily. By the end of season one, they awaken the Balrog and all hell has broken loose, forcing Thrain I to lead a band of survivors to safety in the Lonely Mountain.

Following this story thread to its natural conclusion, the kingdom the dwarfs establish in the mountains, known as Erebor, attracts the Dragons of Forodwaith centuries later, and a fiery conflict breaks out and lasts for two decades.

There's so much Dwarven lore there for the showrunners to play around with. This could involve a two-pronged narrative that switches back and forth between two ages, or a time jump that switches the action to the dragon war.

If the powers that be decide to dedicate a season or a run of episodes to the Dwarfs, there are stories here that could tie directly into the Hobbit movies and link the TV show to its big screen predecessors.