The most expensive series ever produced is under the “magic aura” of a billionaire and escapes cancellation
There are many uncertainties in the world, but it seems that the future of Amazon Prime Video of the most expensive series in history, “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), is not among them, reports Gizmodo and IGN.
Despite rumors that it would be shortened or even canceled, Prime Video plans to stick with original plans to make “The Rings of Power” five seasons, with the series still considered under the protection of Jeff Bezos' “magical aura.”
Amazon won the 2017 bidding war for the rights to a “Lord of the Rings” series, paying an amount described at the time as “insane” by film industry insiders: $250 million. The other thing that immediately stood out after that was Amazon's budget for the production: a billion dollars.
Even though the amount was allocated for a total of 5 seasons, it was unprecedented for any series. A lot has happened since then, but the company founded by Jeff Bezos has not denied the headlines in any way. The first season of “Rings of Power,” released in 2022, had a production budget of $58 million per episode, while the second season, released in 2024, cost $57.2 million per episode.
They are on the 1st and 2nd place, respectively, in the ranking of the most expensive TV productions of all time. Next in the ranking is “Citadel”, another series on Amazon Prime Video, tied with the final season of the Netflix phenomenon series “Stranger Things”. They had a production budget of $50 million per episode, according to the Hollywood media.
“The Rings of Power” series, personally protected by Jeff Bezos
A new article by renowned journalist Lesley Goldberg in The Ankler states that Jeff Bezos, the founder and former CEO of Amazon, is personally interested in the series continuing, regardless of the cost. “This is still under Bezos' magical aura,” a source told The Ankler. “It is protected throughout the broadcast,” she emphasized.
Peter Friedlander, Amazon's head of television, visited the set and assured the creative team that they would have an opportunity to see the story through, according to the source.
It also says that the next season of “Rings of Power” is to be released on Prime Video later in 2026 to respect the gap of only two years between seasons. Amazon has not yet made an official announcement in this regard.
Despite the large sums made available for the production of the series, it received modest reviews, and its first season was the target of a campaign of “review bombing” (publishing very poor ratings to reduce the average score) by fans of the original works of the British writer JRR Tolkien.
The second season was received somewhat better, but the ratings still left much to be desired for such a large-scale production.
A 'Lord of the Rings nightmare' for Amazon Prime Video bosses
The Ankler reported last October that Amazon's TV division was “stuck” in a “Lord of the Rings nightmare” as a result of what it described as “an absurdly high termination fee to Tolkien's heirs”.
In 2017, Amazon beat out Netflix in the bidding for the adaptation rights in a deal struck with Tolkien's heirs, HarperCollins and New Line Cinema. The deal included a commitment from Amazon to produce five seasons to bring “The Lord of the Rings” to the small screen.
According to details leaked to the Hollywood press, Tolkien's heirs would receive a termination fee of $20 million for each promised season if Amazon does not honor its commitment.
The new article published by “The Ankler” also mentions a compromise recently reached by the heads of Amazon's television division with Jeff Bezos: in order for “Rings of Power” to continue for a total of five seasons, a planned “spin-off” series for it was canceled before it went into production.
The Lord of the Rings series on Amazon Prime is unrelated to the films in the works
The series “The Rings of Power” developed by Amazon Prime Video has no connection with the two officially confirmed “The Lord of the Rings” films.
They will be made by the studio Warner Bros, by virtue of the partnership it has with Embracer Group, the Swedish media holding that in 2021 bought the extended rights for the “Lord of the Rings” franchise.
The first of them, The Hunt for Gollum, is due to hit theaters in December 2027, if filming goes according to plan. “Shadows of the Past,” announced out of nowhere late last month, doesn't have a release schedule yet.
However, this is in the early stages of production and will almost certainly be released later than “The Hunt for Gollum”.
