The Rings of Power Will Get To Tell The Whole Story
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel is on track for a five-season arc.
It’s not common to see a streaming series, particularly an expensive one, get to finish its story on its own terms. Too often are high-concept TV shows canceled before they can reach their full potential, breaking the hearts of countless fans and discouraging any novice from investing in a story prematurely. That inevitability is now built into the very fabric of how we watch television — but Lord of the Rings fans will potentially be spared from that fate.
In almost every way, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power feels destined for doom. It’s the kind of show that seldom survives anymore, as it needs some time to reach its full potential. But, in a way, it’s also the final boss of the streaming era, as the most expensive show in history. But survive it has: despite a semi-shaky sophomore season, another is well on the way. And that might not be the end of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel, either. Unlike so many of its peers, The Rings of Power won’t just be allowed to finish its story: it might be obligated to.
Amazon has invested far too much in The Rings of Power to cancel it.
According to a new report from The Ankler, The Rings of Power is protected by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos’ “magical halo.” The streamer invested more than a small fortune to get its slice of JRR Tolkien’s intellectual property — per The Ankler, it’s cost around $1 billion to get The Rings of Power off the ground — and Prime Video’s new global head of television, Peter Friedlander, intends to honor that investment. According to a source with knowledge of Friedlander’s new regime, The Rings of Power is “protected for its run,” which could go on for four or five seasons. Friedlander even visited the set as production filmed Season 3, assuring the creatives that they’ll have the freedom to finish their story.
That’s great for the core show, though the franchise’s lifeline seems to stop there. While tentative plans were in place for an unannounced spinoff, those have been indefinitely shelved due to the great expense, at least for now. Still, it’s nice that the future is a sure thing for The Rings of Power, even if it’s at great expense.
The Ankler previously reported that Amazon is “trapped in a Lord of the Rings nightmare” after overpaying for the IP: if the studio pulls the plug, the Tolkien estate will reportedly fine it $20 million for every season the creative team fails to complete. It’s not just the sunk cost fallacy keeping this prequel alive — but if this is the only way to circumvent the disappointments of the streaming era, then so be it.
