Silmarillion Film Project

Dr. Corey Olsen, Executive Producer

President and founder of Signum University, Dr. Olsen first made his mark in the world of online learning with his popular Tolkien Professor podcast, in which he shared lectures from his classes on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and related literature. Out of the podcast grew the Silmarillion Seminar, an in-depth look at The Silmarillion with a group of people who were passionate to study Tolkien’s legendarium beyond The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Later came Riddles in the Dark, in which Dr. Olsen first teamed up with Trish and Dave to speculate about the then-forthcoming film adaptations of The Hobbit. The Silmarillion Film Project is a natural extension of each of these programs.

Dave Kale, Executive Producer

Dave Kale has been podcasting with The Tolkien Professor since 2012 when he helped to launch the Riddles in the Dark podcast to speculate how Peter Jackson would adapt The Hobbit into the three-part epic film series. Dave was an original participant in the Silmarillion Seminar, which ignited his passion for The Silmarillion, as it has for many listeners, and he is thrilled to continue indulging that passion as a co-host on the Silmarillion Film Project. He looks forward to discussing Tolkien with Corey and Trish for decades to come. In his mundane daily life, Dave is a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Science at the USC Information Sciences Institute and a deep learning engineer at Skymind.

Trish Lambert, Host Emerita

Though she tends to be a “Jane of all trades,” if you hold her hand over the fire, Trish will tell you she is a professional writer, a vocation that has been an active part of every phase of her varied career. Writing for a living gives her a wonderful opportunity to learn about new things all the time, which invariably leads her to reflect on how things have changed over the time she’s been paying attention to the world. Fantasy and science fiction are her genres of choice when it comes to reading or watching stories about alternative realities or extrapolated futures. Trish is an alumna of Signum University, part of the OG Riddles in the Dark Team, and Host Emerita of the Silm Film Project Podcast.

Before we get into planning the seasonal storylines, we will discuss the purpose of the Silmarillion Film Project: what we’re doing, what we’re not doing, and the framework that will guide us throughout the process. We’ll also make some big decisions about things like characterization, the depiction of magic, music, chronology, language style, and the use of narration.

Preproduction Episode List ≫

The first season of the Silmarillion Film Project, from the Ainulindalë through Cuivienen…

Season 1 Episode List ≫

For the second season, we leave the war to end all wars and start with the awakening of the Elves from their point of view. We will end the season with the Darkening of Valinor and the theft of the Silmarils.

Season 2 Episode List ≫

For the third season, we start off with Fëanor’s speech and the Rebellion of the Noldor.

Season 3 Episode List ≫

For the fourth season, we have daylight – which opens a whole new world (kind of literally).

Season 4 Episode List ≫

Season 5 of the Silmarillion Film Project – time to slow down the pace of the timeline so we can add mortal Men to the story.

Season 5 Episode List ≫