“Man...I dunno. It’s been a very long time since I attempted to read the Simarillion (sp?), but what I remember was rather ponderous and not at all engaging. I’m not sure it would make a good film.”
I thought the same thing. Couldn’t get through it. He seemed to be at this point working on an encyclopedic approach to Middle earth, the beginning of...
Well, to be fair, he never actually finished it.