Two Towers? Amazon Unbothered By Warner Bros' Lord of the Rings Ambitions
Will the new The Lord of the Rings releases demolish The Rings of Power series?
Last week, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav suddenly announced that several films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's massively successful book series will be developed through WB's New Line Cinema label.
A previous film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003), created by Peter Jackson, was an overwhelming success with audiences and critics alike, encouraging even more people to read the original books.
His subsequent three-movie adaptation of The Hobbit received a more mixed reception, but still managed to prove successful at the box office.
The most recent iteration of Tolkien's universe on the big screen came in the form of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, a television series developed for the Amazon Prime Video streaming service.
Production costs reached an astonishing $715 million, making it the most expensive television series ever made.
When the first season premiered on September 1, 2022, the show received generally positive reviews from critics.
However, audience reaction seemed to be quite muted, especially from die-hard Tolkien fans, who accused the show of bastardizing the original material.
In response to the Warner Bros. announcement, Amazon Studious head Jennifer Salke said that she was positive that there would be no problems with the two cinematic branches of the universe coexisting.
"We'll see, [...]. 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" she said in an interview to Variety.
This statement could be deemed controversial, considering the amount of backlash the series has received since its release.
With a new competitor on the rise, it is quite possible that The Rings of Power could take some serious hits, assuming the new movies are of the right quality.
It would be hard to top Peter Jackson's trilogy, considering its iconic status, but if they manage to at least match it, it will certainly draw fans' attention away from the controversial series.
On the other hand, the movies don't even have filmmakers attached yet, so the show might as well reach its final season before the movies are released.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 release date has not yet been announced.