Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos made a speech during The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power UK premiere on Tuesday.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a huge endeavor for Jeff Bezos’ Amazon, which is backed by a $465 million budget for the first season. The Amazon founder made a surprise appearance at The Rings of Power‘s premiere on Tuesday in the UK, and touched on his involvement, or lack thereof with the series:
“Every showrunner’s dream – and I mean every showrunner – their dream is to get notes on scripts and early cuts from the founder and executive chairman. They loved that. I need to thank you both for listening whenever it helped but mostly I need to thank you for ignoring me at exactly the right times.”
Bezos’ History With Tolkien
Jeff Bezos also dived into his personal relationship with Tolkien’s Middle-Earth lore and how the love for The Lord of the Rings has been passed down to his kids:
“My grandfather’s the one who introduced me to Tolkien. I fell in love immediately, I was probably 13 or 14 years old. I fell in love with the adventure of course, with the detailed universe, with the feelings of hope and optimism, with the idea that everybody has a role to play. And I’m happy to report that that cycle continues today. My kids have become Tolkien fans as well. In fact one of my boys I think approaches the level of a Tolkien scholar he knows so much about this universe. And after Amazon got involved in this project, my son came up to me one day, he looked me in the eyes, very sincerely, and he said: ‘Dad, please don’t eff this up.’ And he was right. We know that this world is important to so many people, we know it’s a privilege to work inside this world and we know it’s a big responsibility.”
Here is the synopsis for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power:
“This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.”
Amazon Studios is producing The Rings of Power in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema. J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay are serving as showrunners and executive producers on the series.
The ensemble for the show consists of Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, and Daniel Weyman.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will premiere on September 1st on Amazon Prime Video. Stay tuned for all the latest news on the upcoming series, and subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: Variety
