Amazon's Lord Of The Rings: 10 Things Fans Demand

The aesthetic of Middle Earth is one of its strongest assests. The original film trilogy created a truly iconic look for the world that so many fell in love with. One man is largely responsible for that look: Alan Lee.

The illustrator might not have considered that, when he provided artwork for some Tolkien histories in the 1990s, he would later be headhunted by an ambitious Peter Jackson on the search for those select few who could bring his vision for a cinematic LOTR to life. But just look at his work. Have you ever seen anyone else capture the energy of the written word so perfectly?

Alan Lee's beautiful illustrations provided the framework for Jackson's production team to work from; Middle Earth has become inextricably linked with Lee's visions. The architecture of Middle Earth, all smooth sweeping lines and immense halls, came from his art based on the books. Even that classic scene with Gollum's first appearance and confrontation with Frodo and Sam came from him.

If the Amazon series wants to make sure fans get on board and stay on board, they really have no choice but to keep the same aesthetic. We all already have such clear visions of what Middle Earth looks like that any deviation is just going to completely ruin the magic.