In light of Warner Bros. Discovery's plans to produce new films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, an Amazon Prime Video executive has weighed in on how this will affect the platform’s Rings of Power series, which Amazon has invested a lot into.
In an unexpected development, Warner Bros. Discovery made the move to acquire film rights to the IP and forge ahead with new Lord of the Rings film projects in conjunction with New Line Cinema. This announcement was seen as worrying for Amazon, which spent an unprecedented amount to secure similar rights and develop its own Lord of the Rings-based project in the big-budget streaming exclusive Rings of Power.
In a recent comment made to Variety, Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, addressed the situation and assured fans that the move would not affect Rings of Power going forward. When asked about a possible oversaturation of Lord of The Rings content in light of the Warner Bros. move and the upcoming Rings of Power season 2, which began filming ahead of the first season’s conclusion, Salke’s response was markedly confident. “We’ll see,” she said. “We love our original series. We’re extremely proud of it, and invested long-term. So, we definitely think there’s enough fan love to sustain ours for a long time.” The team behind the show has also promised changes based on criticisms received and to explore more lore in future Rings of Power seasons, assurances that might sway some more undecided viewers to stay the course when the second season premieres.
While those over at Amazon seem unbothered, there is little doubt that the move by Warner Bros was strongly related to the Rings of Power. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav reportedly quoted the success at Amazon to investors when announcing the decision, giving Amazon CEO Andy Jassy credit for the success. Interestingly, the two executives at the head of Warner Bros.' push for the franchise are Mike De Luca and Pamela Abdy, who previously worked for MGM up until Amazon acquired it. While this is almost guaranteed to be a coincidence, it is curious.
Despite Selke's confidence, the situation could potentially get bleak for Amazon. The first season of Rings of Power already had to contend with the successful Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon, which has also been renewed for a second season. Analysis of the available data showed that House Of The Dragon stacked up favorably against Rings Of Power despite coming in at a significantly smaller budget. While this was not a problem for Amazon on the whole, only the future will tell how Rings of Power holds up with the addition of more Lord of the Rings content.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: Variety