Bezos: The Lord of the Rings: The Power of the Rings is a responsibility, not just about making money

Amazon founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos expressed his views on "The Lord of the Rings: The Power of the Rings". In a recent interview, he expressed his hope that the show would be faithful to the original work created by Tolkien and not be entirely for the purpose of making money.

“Middle-earth is a beloved world, and telling the story of the forging of the Ring of Power is an honor and a responsibility. I hope we can do justice to Tolkien’s work,” he told TIME. “This is not just about making a commercially successful show. Everyone involved in the show read these stories as a child, and we’ve all put our hearts and souls into them.”

The Lord of the Rings is a very expensive TV series, estimated to be the most expensive TV series ever produced. According to Time magazine, Amazon paid $250 million for the copyright alone, and the production cost of the first season was as high as $468 million. In addition to these expenses, the report also stated that Amazon also aired a prime-time advertisement for The Lord of the Rings during this year's NFL Super Bowl in the United States, which cost about $13 million.

Bezos is said to be a big fan of the fantasy genre. He was reportedly personally involved in Amazon's negotiations to acquire the rights to "The Lord of the Rings" a few years ago. Bezos stepped down as Amazon CEO last year and is now the company's executive chairman.

The eight-episode first season of The Lord of the Rings: The Power of the Rings will premiere on Amazon's Prime Video platform on September 1, with the first two episodes airing together. The remaining six episodes will air every Friday until October 14.

In addition to the series, Middle-earth will also get other new content. Recently, T2, the developer of GTA, announced that its private sector is working with Weta Workshop's game department to produce a new Lord of the Rings game.