One The Lord of the Rings fan claims the movie franchise would actually be 24 films if made today. Based on the beloved novel by J. R. R. Tolkien, the Lord of the Rings movies released in the early 2000s in a span of three years. The series consists of three films by Peter Jackson, with the movies receiving their names from the individual volumes within the book. Several actors appeared across the entire trilogy, including Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, and Cate Blanchett. The Lord of the Rings films were considered a massive win for the fantasy genre due to their critical and commercial success.
Tolkien's work has stood the test of time, with his novel The Hobbit getting a trilogy adaptation of its own roughly a decade after The Lord of the Rings series. Additionally, Amazon is currently working on a TV show based on The Lord of the Rings, which has already been given a five-season commitment. The series is set before The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, placing it during the Second Age. Though the novel is over 60 years old, it's clear there's still an appetite for adaptations of Tolkien's beloved works.
Recently, one fan imagined what it would look like if the original The Lord of the Rings movies were made today. Specifically, Twitter user Macy64x created a graphic joking the series would consist of 24 unnecessary films, rather than two trilogies. The fan even added posters theorizing what the movies might be called:
The posters seem to poke fun at several franchises, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe and any with a "Part 2" film like Harry Potter or Twilight. Though the graphic is clearly a joke, the thinking behind it isn't too far off. In the last 20 years, Hollywood has become increasingly dependent on spinoffs and sequels thanks to the name recognition they provide. It seems likely the Lord of the Rings franchise would be milked for more movies if made today, regardless of what best served the story.
With the Amazon series on the way, this logic is already being applied. Five seasons of a show will make for a far longer adaptation than six movies. It also seems likely The Lord of the Rings will be rebooted for the big screen at some point. At that time, it will be interesting to see if it's adapted to a couple trilogies again or if a perhaps more bloated version of the story will be created.
Source: Macy64x