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It is from this article. Here is the context:
Salke suggested. “We’re really excited about Lord of the Rings. Despite all the chatter about it, the deal just closed a month ago. We’ve been talking to writers. We have an estate that’s very active. I’ve spent three hours with Simon Tolkien.
I am aware that estate has quite a few meanings, but I have no idea what it means there.
In this context, it means the "estate of JRR Tolkien". When a person dies, the money and property that the person owned is called their "estate". When the person owns some copyrights, those are part of that person's estate. The heirs control the estate, and by extension, when the quote says "an estate that's very active" they mean that the heirs are involved and engaged.
Here it suggests that the heirs of JRR Tolkien are actively supporting the idea of a Lord of the Rings TV series. This is important, since if the heirs don't approve they can stop the whole production.
