Game Of Thrones vs. Lord Of The Rings Is Now 2022's Biggest TV Battle

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Thanks to House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power's release dates, Game of Thrones vs. Lord of the Rings is now the big TV battle of 2022. Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings have always been somewhat linked. A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin was hugely influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien, with similarities in their works extending well beyond the RR middle initials. Martin wrote ASOIAF in part because of so much fantasy mimicking Tolkien's works, with the writer inspired by him but also looking to subvert many of the conventions of the genre. That extended into their respective adaptations too, with Game of Thrones owing a clear debt to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies.

And yet, for the most part their journeys have never overlapped directly, despite being connected. Martin's first book, A Game of Thrones, was published over 40 years after The Lord of the Rings; Game of Thrones started airing on HBO a decade after Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring had released in theaters. With both now established movie/TV franchises in an era where every studio and network is looking for the one IP to rule them all, however, then they are finally going head-to-head.

Related: Amazon's LOTR's Timeline Will Make Game Of Thrones Look Tiny

Previously, Amazon had announced Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power's release date as September 2, 2022. Later, HBO confirmed that House of the Dragon's release date would be August 21, 2022, setting the two shows on a collision course. While they won't air the exact same date, from The Rings of Power episode 1 and House of the Dragon episode 3 they will be sharing the same weekend space, each aiming to dominate in terms of viewership, critical