Tolkien himself sold the rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The Tolkien Estate doesn't have those any more! For the article to claim 'the estate has refused to allow the series to be set during any period other than the Second Age of Middle-earth' seems to be mistating the situation, and the original interview merely has Shippey saying the Third Age is 'off-limits'.

Some good news from the interview: the Estate has retained a veto over 'everything that concerns Tolkien'. Whether that means they can say no to the creation of Mârizo, secret mistress of Ar-Pharazon, or just that they can forbid Amazon from having her kill Tar-Miriel, is probably still an open question.

hS