A Silmarillion movie series?

That would be the dream of a lot (if not every) of the Tolkien fans, like me.. To see Manwe, Varda, Morgoth, Sauron, Feanor, Maedhros, Fingolfin, Beren, Turin, Tuor and Luthien (who have so far existed only in our minds or in the paintings of Ted Nasmith, John Howe, Allen Lee and numerous other artists) come to life in screen would be simply fantastic!!

It would be nothing like the Lord of the Rings trilogy.. Those who have read Silmarillion knows that it far exeeds LotR in epic grandeur.. glorious Gods, mighty High-Elven Kings and deeds of unsurpassing heroism. An epic tale unfolding over a period of 600 years..

These are precisely the reasons why a Silmarillion movie series may never come into being, sadly... :-(

To do justice to the masterpiece of Tolkien, The Silmarillion in screen should be spanning over atleast 8 movies, in my opinion. Here's what I propose:

1. "The Silmarillion : The Legend of Feanor" :- It tells the tale from the creation of the Ainur by Iluvatar, Melkor's rebellion, creation of the World, awakening of Elves, chaining of Melkor, departure of Elves to Valinor, Melkor's release, Feanor's rebellion, slaying of the Two Trees, Feanor's Oath, departure of Noldor to Middle Earth, the Kinslaying, prophecy of Mandos, burning of the Teleri ships and the death of Amras, and finally, ends with death of Feanor at the hands of Balrogs. This film would require a lot of Cate Blanchett-style narrative as seen in the LotR.
   
2. "The Silmarillion : The Return of Maedhros" :- This film would cover the capture of Maedhros, the arrival of the people of Fingolfin and Finarfin, the rescue of Maedhros by Fingon from Thangorodrim by amputation of his right arm, Maedhros's repentence and ceding of High-Kingship to Fingolfin, the recuperation of Maedhros, how he painstakingly learned to wield his sword with his left arm (with even greater strength!), and finally, how he led the Noldor to victory against marauding Orc armies, beginning the long Siege of Angband. This film would require a lot of fictional content, but it is intended to showcase the horrors Maedhros had to undergo in Angband, his bravery and resolve.
3. "The Silmarillion : The Fall of Fingolfin" :- This film would cover a lot about how the Elves rebuilt and reached their zenith of power, during the Seige of Angband. This could possibly include the construction of Nargorothrond and Gondolin. It ends with the Breaking of the Seige at Battle of Sudden Flame where Angrod and Aegnor were slain and the Noldor were routed. Then, finally, we have the heroic duel between Fingolfin, the High King of Noldor-in-Exile, and Morgoth resulting in the death of Fingolfin.
4. "The Silmarillion : The Tale of Luthien and Beren" :- This film will begin with the heroism of Barahir at the Battle of Sudden Flame and covers his life in exile, betrayal of their band, death of Barahir, escape of his son Beren and his meeting with Luthien Tinuviel. Then the film would cover their adventures at the Tower of Sirion and Angband, death of Beren and Luthien and their return as mortals. I'm not sure whether their final death could be covered here as it overlaps with events in other films.
5. "The Silmarillion : The Battle of Unnumbered Tears" :- This film will cover the formation of the Union of Maedhros and the subsequent Battle of Unnumbered Tears resulting in the routing of the Elven Kingdoms in Middle-Earth and the death of Fingon.
6. "The Silmarillion : The Children of Hurin" :- This film would cover Hurin's capture at the Battle of Unnumbered tears, his rescue of Turgon, his capture by Morgoth, the subsequent Curse of Morgoth upon him and his children. Then the film shows the tragic tale of Turin and Nienor, destruction of Nargorothrond, slaying of Glaurung, and the death of Turin and Nienor.
7. "The Silmarillion : The Downfall of Gondolin and Doriath" :- This tale could cover the release of Hurin, the tale of Nauglafring, death of Thingol and departure of Melian, death of Hurin and Morwen, rise of Dior as the King of Doriath, death of Beren and Luthien and the Silmaril coming into the possession of Dior. The film could cover in parallel, the events in Gondolin, i.e tale of Aredhel, Eol and Maeglin, snapshot of Tuor's life, his arrival in Gondolin, his marriage with Idril, capture and betrayal of Maeglin. The final destruction of Doriath and Gondolin could be shown in parallel. One possibly touching sequence I have contrived will be Celegorm, Caranthir and Curufin fighting Dior and getting slain by him. Finally, Maglor fights and kills Dior in wrath, after which he breaks down and repents his deed. The film will end with the touching union of the refugees from the two former Hidden realms at the mouths of Sirion. This seems to be too much crowded for a single movie. Maybe some kind of omissions or alterations will be needed here.
8. "The Silmarillion : The War of Wrath" :- This film tells of the departure of Tuor and Idril, union of Earendil and Elwing, Earendil's final voyage in search of Valinor, the final assault of Feanorians for the Silmaril. This film would offer even more touching seens. Feanorians are faced with the task of fighting their fellow Noldorin Elves (Turgon's people) who have vowed to fight till death defending the people and family of their beloved leader Earendil. Eventually, even many among the Feanorians abstain from battle and some even join the other side against this unrighteous battle. But Maglor, Maedhros and Amrod, contrained by their Oath, fights despite revulsion, and Amrod falls to a Noldorin sword. Elwing jumps into the Sea, and saved by Ulmo, finds Earendil (who was distraught as he was unable to find the way to Blessed Realm) as a swan, bringing the Silmaril. Earendil learns from her of the incidents at Sirion, and grieves for the fate of their twin-children (a parallel shot shows their captivity by Maglor, who nevertheless took pity on them and raise them like his children). Still they resolve to go to the West, seeking emancipation of Men and Elves from Morgoth. This time they finds the Land of the Gods with the aid of their Silmaril. Earendil and Elwing speaks before them on behalf of the two kindreds. The War of Wrath follows. This will be the mightiest battle in the whole of the movie series, as it is the battle between Gods. Beleriand is destroyed, Morgoth overthrown and remaining two Silmarils captured. Here again, the plight of Maglor and Maedhros comes into focus, as they slay the guards to capture the Silmarils. Though they are captured, Eonwe, aware of their cruel, unavoidable fate lets them escape with the Silmarils. But Maglor and Maedhros, to their grief discovers that they have lost their claim to it (as it burns their hands), due to their sins committed in its name. Maedhros jumps into a fiery chasm with his Silmaril and Maglor throws his into the sea. The film could end with the distraught face of Maglor beside the sea, and a Cate Blanchett-style narration of the departure of Noldor, how Galadriel stayed back, how the Numenor was raised from the Sea, how Elros became the first High-King of Numenor and Elrond created Rivendell. The film would also show a final shot of Sauron, as he plots his rise in the absence of Morgoth.

The mighty and historic Silmarillion movie series ends here. It could be taken over 4 years with 2 films released each year.

Another alternative narrative structure could be Elrond narrating this to Frodo at Rivendell, before he departs to the unknown with his Ring. Here we could add the situation where Elrond remembers the kindness of Maglor to him and his twin-brother Elros, and how they were taught and raised by Maglor and Maedhros (A touching link between the Silmarillion and LotR, and between the first age and the third age). This structure could have a touching end with Elrond saying farewell to Frodo saying: "Remember those who came before, and did unparalleled heroism against all odds - Beren, Turin, Tuor."

But such a movie franchise like this is highly unlikely to materialize, due to the level of risks involved. Peter Jackson could do a good job (I think he did well with the LotR considering the pressures and risks he was in. Any other director would have been far worse.).

If such a movie series is ever made, I have another suggestion. The sound tracks and music should be done by Enya. She has that "Elven" beauty in her songs and voice, as seen in FotR's "May it Be". It would be truly breathtaking.

There is no doubt that a such a mammoth venture will far surpass anything attempted in cinematic history. It would be a gigantic venture that would require the utmost artistic creativity, sense of beauty and ground-breaking special effects to create Valinor and the High-Elven kingdoms on screen.

Oh... How I wish to actually see the glory of the High-Elves on screen!!!

Sadly, this dream of mine will probably never come to fruition.