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[Draugoth]

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power fans can breathe a sigh of relief, it seems: Prime Video is reportedly still committed to its five-season plan for the series.

That news comes via a new report in THR, which details some of the “headaches” facing both Rings of Power and House of the Dragon currently. Those headaches include reports about a dip in viewership for The Rings of Power, but THR’s new article says that after seeing the Season 2 numbers, Prime Video “remains committed to the show’s original five-season plan.” The show hasn’t been officially renewed yet, although Prime Video announced in February that writing had begun on Season 3.

Last week, Deadline reported that about 902,000 U.S. households tuned into the Season 2 premiere of The Rings of Power in its first four days, representing about a 50% drop in viewership for the same period of time for the Season 1 premiere. And on Tuesday, Prime Video announced that 40 million viewers have watched The Rings of Power Season 2 in its first 11 days of availability. Season 1 drew a whopping 25 million in its first 24 hours alone when it debuted in 2022, according to Prime Video’s numbers.

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[trikster40]

They need to understand that viewership will most likely remain stable. I haven't watched it yet because I'm finishing up House of the Dragon, doesn't mean I'm not going to watch it, just later. That's the thing with streaming shows. I know it's not going anywhere and I don't have to watch it the second it comes out.

 

[winjer]

 

[Trogdor1123]

Wife and started season 2 this weekend and it was ok. Production values remain through the roof. The guy who plays Elrond does a great job imo.

I didn’t really understand the Sauron part but I’m not a scholar of Tolkien so maybe it does make sense. Either way, I’m just watching it for what it is. It’s an enjoyable easy watch also as you don’t actually think about it.

They really made Galadriel a fuck up too. Wrong call after wrong call.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Wife and started season 2 this weekend and it was ok. Production values remain through the roof. The guy who plays Elrond does a great job imo.

Elrond shows he has a bit of spine and pushes back against Galadriel, as does Gil-galad.

I didn’t really understand the Sauron part but I’m not a scholar of Tolkien so maybe it does make sense. Either way, I’m just watching it for what it is. It’s an enjoyable easy watch also as you don’t actually think about it.

It's mostly made up. Adar doesn't exist in the book and I don't think he gets betrayed by Orcs either.

They really made Galadriel a fuck up too. Wrong call after wrong call.

Yet somehow she doesn't really get punished for it, her title doesn't get stripped after disobeying the king, not warning people that Halbrand was Sauron, they let her keep the ring when it's known by then it's made by Sauron...

 

[AJUMP23]

Five seasons of mediocrity.

 

[thefool]

 

[ManaByte]

The show is controlled by the Tolkien Estate & Trust and Harper Collins (Tolkien's publisher). Their requirement for whoever won the bidding war between HBO, Netflix, and Amazon was a five season commitment or else they wouldn't get the rights.

HBO wanted to remake the movies, but more mature like Game of Thrones, and Netflix wanted to do LOTR Avengers with a Gandalf show, an Aragorn show, a Hobbit show, a Saruman show, a Elf show, that all join up in a LOTR remake mini-series. The estate was terrified of that. Amazon won out by giving Simon Tolkien and the Estate more control than HBO and Netflix wanted, and they paid a lot less as a result.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

At this point, dying seems more fun.

 

[Fake]

Must be money laundry. No other fucking way around.

 

[jason10mm]

the Estate more control than HBO and Netflix wanted, and they paid a lot less as a result.

A lot less?? Didn't Amazon drop a QUARTER BILLION just to secure the LOTR (+appendices, no silmarillion) rights? NO FUCKING WAY is ANY IP worth that, no matter what. Everyone was suckered into dumping $$$ into a pit. No IP without good writing, could ever give a return on that much, and any show with good writing could be a hit with that much in marketing.

Tolkein estate has gone mad.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Amazon won out by giving Simon Tolkien and the Estate more control than HBO and Netflix wanted, and they paid a lot less as a result.

You have to be shitting me if you are trying to tell the Tolkien Estate has control. Christopher would have never, ever allowed this shit on the screen. It’s clear Simon has no clue about his grandfather’s legacy.

 

[BadBurger]

Sorry if it was mentioned, but I think Amazon is contractually obliged to deliver five seasons. If correct, then I expect them to just start reducing the budget.

Why in the world they hired these two writers with almost zero accolades and poor ideas I will never understand. Especially when there was so much money on the line.

 

[Oberstein]

All that money spent on publishing rights... And when you read Tolkien's letters, he had such a hard time finding a publisher and was willing to settle for the bare minimum to publish LoTr. He lived in a decrepit house, had all kinds of problems with his chickens, had to do housework which he hated, and so on. It's hard to believe, given his academic status, but he was poor for most of his life. On the other hand, he'd be immediately cancelled if he were still alive today lol. He was a reactionary, hated swing and the contemporary music of his time, and found most of the illustrations for The Hobbit ugly and too childish.

 

[ZehDon]

I believe they had to commit to 5 seasons as part of the deal to get the rights. It would likely cost them more to walk away then it would to continue.

 

[Warspite]

Whats stopping them for splitting a season and just doing 3 episodes a year?

 

[jason10mm]

Whats stopping them for splitting a season and just doing 3 episodes a year?

I think there are minimum requirements, or at least a guaranteed minimum spend per season, which is why this is a "billion dollar deal". Amazon committed to a MINIMUM $125 million spend per season x 5, as well as 250 mill just for the IP and another 200 mill in production start up investment. It's INSANE they handed this to 2 relative nobodies. A guy like Ron Moore, with MULTIPLE successful series, can't get even a whiff of that level of $$$.

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

Problem with these seasons, is there should be a season 1 plan and a contingent plan for multiple seasons. So they can wrap up the story as needed.

IMO, House of the Dragon is a shameful experience that should have never been greenlit.

I haven’t watched Rings of Power.

These companies need a 1 season plan should the show falter and a way to extend to multiple seasons. This spike be placed in advance and built into the scripts.

 

[Warspite]

I think there are minimum requirements, or at least a guaranteed minimum spend per season, which is why this is a "billion dollar deal". Amazon committed to a MINIMUM $125 million spend per season x 5, as well as 250 mill just for the IP and another 200 mill in production start up investment. It's INSANE they handed this to 2 relative nobodies. A guy like Ron Moore, with MULTIPLE successful series, can't get even a whiff of that level of $$$.

Interesting, it might be less embarrassing to buy out that contract.

It is just shocking that they pick 2 absolute nobodies to write and run this.

 

[LordCBH]

That’s how contracts work, is it not? I wonder just how much they’d have to pay to get out of it. Maybe it’s not worth getting out of it depending on that cost.

 

[Insane Metal]

Good, I'm enjoying it.

 

[Saber]

Must be a part of contract obligation or something. They gonna eat up those losses liking or not.

 

[jason10mm]

Interesting, it might be less embarrassing to buy out that contract.

It is just shocking that they pick 2 absolute nobodies to write and run this.

Those guys ran a VERY good pitch I guess.

Some of the problems with RoP is just the nature of the era they picked and the source. They have the appendices, which describes this era in light detail, but all the "good stuff" is in the Silmarillion and I think they have to actually change their story to avoid any charge that they are using the Silmarillion directly. Amazon would have been better off doing a LOTR adjacent story (like the pitch from some o the other networks, I guess) or trying to get very specific tales from the Silmarillion that are complete experiences in and of themselves. The Tolkein estate is clearly holding on to that stuff (Beren and Luthein, Hurin and Turin, Glorfindel, the squabble over the Silmarils, etc) for later sale when they need to make yacht payments or something. Why Amazon isn't just doing a direct LOTR remake (that was allowed by the tv rights deal they bought, I believe) is a wonder as that is about the only thing worth that level of $$$ in my opinion.

Another issue is the (misguided, in my opinion) attempt to make these stories appeal to EVERYONE. They are losing any sense of place and people by casting the way they do, a more traditional casting, particularly for the elves and the numenoreans, would have given a better sense of them as a people, I think. The numenoreans in particular should have ALL been tall adonis types.

 

[AmuroChan]

Sorry if it was mentioned, but I think Amazon is contractually obliged to deliver five seasons. If correct, then I expect them to just start reducing the budget.

Yes, that is correct.

"Prime Video has already guaranteed five seasons of The Rings of Power. The J.R.R. Tolkien estate only let Prime purchase the rights to adapt the prequel to Lord of the Rings if they committed to doing five seasons (or 50 hours). "There are things in the first season that don’t pay off until season five. We even know what our final shot of the last episode is going to be," co-showrunner J.D. Payne said. So, with that said, season two is already guaranteed."

Source

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Was there any doubt? They were contractually obligated to do 5 seasons and I'm sure whatever penalty for breaking the contract was more costly than just finishing the show

 

[OmegaSupreme]

 

[Warspite]

I think the 50 hours is the most important part, they will not be cutting up season to meet the 5 season commitment.

If season 2 is only 8 episodes, they must be making up that time somewhere else.

 

[SJRB]