The Middle-Earth Project

The Middle-Earth Project is an idea for a film, based on an original pitch by Max Landis.

Premise
After an oil-drilling company picks up a relic from a supposed lost/sunken continent's civilization, a deep sea dive is ordered to find the answers

Development
Max Landis was in an episode of the web show "Schmoes Know," and revealed "a pitch for a movie you couldn't actually market or make." Flores loved the idea so much, he came up with the title The Middle-Earth Project, and wrote the screenplay. Peter Jackson and crew were attracted to the project, and later rewrote the script, with Fran Walsh, and Phillipa Boyens.