Middle Earth is set to return to our screens, with Amazon recently securing a deal which will see a new story in the popular Lord of the Rings franchise adapted for television.

The show will be produced by Amazon Studios in conjunction with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros.

It is rumoured that the deal has one of the largest price tags in television history, though no exact details of the settlement amount have been released.

As part of the deal Amazon have agreed to produce multiple seasons of the show, with the option for a spin-off series.

The show will reportedly explore story lines preceding the events of The Fellowship of the Rings, some of which will be based upon unexplored stories in Tolkien’s original writings. It is not yet known if these tales will include popular characters from the franchise, but we all have our fingers crossed for some Gandalf action.

In a statement, Matt Galsor, a representative for the Tolkien Estate and Trust and HarperCollin said:

“We are delighted that Amazon, with its longstanding commitment to literature, is the home of the first-ever multi-season television series for The Lord of the Rings.

“Sharon and the team at Amazon Studios have exceptional ideas to bring to the screen previously unexplored stories based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s original writings.”

With this blessing from the Tolkien estate it’s fair to say there is a lot of pressure already on the producers to make this show every bit as the films were.

The original Lord of the Rings film trilogy grossed a massive $2.9bn worldwide, with the third film, The Return of the King, winning 11 Oscars. It has been fourteen years since the final that film in the hit the silver screen three since the third Hobbit film.

But are we really ready for some more Middle Earth?

If it’s a new story and they drop as much money on the show as they have to get the rights for it, it is a big fat YES from us.