Tolkien 2.0
The fantasy writer’s vast theological and philosophical universe is unfolding in the hands of artists, scholars, and game designers.
In 1956, Marquette University purchased the original manuscripts of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings for less than $5,000. At the time, no other institution had shown interest in J. R. R. Tolkien’s manuscripts. Thirteen years later, United Artists bought the movie rights from Tolkien for $240,000. Fast-forward to 2017, when Amazon paid a staggering $250 million for the rights to create TV adaptations. Just five years later, the Embracer Group acquired Middle-earth Enterprises (which holds the film and merchandising rights) for a record $395 million.
In just a few decades, Tolkien’s Middle-earth has transformed from a quiet literary legacy into a multimedia empire. And in 2025, I’d argue, we find ourselves in the midst of what could be called Tolkien 2.0—a new and expansive chapter in the ongoing story of Tolkien’s influence.
The signs of this moment are everywhere. The second season of Amazon’s The Rings of Power has aired (with three more expected), and a Silmarillion movie is slated for release in December. In the world of tabletop role-playing games, Free League Publishing’s specialized volumes on hobbits, dwarves, and elves for The One Ring RPG have been met with immense success, with 13,000 individuals backing just the dwarven setting expansion to the tune of $1.2 million. Meanwhile, HarperCollins is set to complete the release of the History of Middle-earth Box Sets—five monumental sets of Tolkien books edited by his youngest son, Christopher, which total around 6,000 pages. The anime film The War of the Rohirrim debuted last December, and next year Warner Brothers will launch The Hunt for Gollum as the beginning of a series of Lord of the Rings films, promising yet another new wave of Middle-earth content.
