From: Michael Walsh <walshmichaelj at gmail.com> Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2017 11:17:53 -0500 Subject: [WSFA] Amazon news ... To: WSFA Official List <wsfa-forum at yahoogroups.com>, WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>, ewsfa at googlegroups.com Amazon to do LOTR .... "Amazon, Netflix and HBO had been approached by the Tolkien estate, who had been shopping the project. It came with an upfront rights payment said to be in the $200 million-$250 million range, and I hear Amazon landed the rights by paying close to $250 million. That is just for the rights, before any costs for development, talent and production, in proposition whose finances industry observers called =E2=80=9Cinsane.=E2=80=9D It is a payment that is made sight unseen as ther= e is no concept, and there are no creative auspices attached to the possible series. On top of that, the budget for a fantasy series of that magnitude is likely to be $100 million-$150 million a season." http://deadline.com/2017/11/amazon-the-lord-of-the-rings-tv-series-multi-s= eason-commitment-1202207065/ Amazon Books to open in Bethesda http://www.shelf-awareness.com/theshelf/2017-11-14/amazon_books_to_open_sto= re_in_bethesda_md..html mjw