The news that Amazon will be creating a Lord of the Rings prequel series has not exactly been met with universal acclaim among fans.

One star now voicing his disapproval is Peter Jackson movie trilogy star John Rhys-Davies – aka Gimli – who has suggested that original author JRR Tolkien would be "spinning in his grave" over the news.

Amazon's deal with the Tolkien estate, publisher HarperCollins and Warner Bros' New Line imprint means that it will create a multi-season prequel to The Fellowship of the Ring, featuring brand new material, and allowing for a possible spin-off series.

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"Well, you know they have the money to do it," Rhys Davies told Den of Geek of Amazon's project.

"Why we quite need Lord of the Rings as a TV series baffles me slightly," he said. "I mean, poor Tolkien must be spinning in his grave."

Rhys-Davies argued that it was about "making more money", and suggested that producers look to younger writers to adapt it as it would be "a great tribute to Tolkien".

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Another original star to weigh in on the idea of a new series is Samwise Gamgee actor Sean Astin, who admitted that he's often thought about a remake.

"[The possibility of returning] didn't even occur to me," he said last week. "I just sort of thought, 'What would it be like to see the next Sam there? How would they do it? How? Who?'"

From: Digital Spy