Netflix Pitched A Lord Of The Rings Show And Multiple Spinoffs - Report
According to a new report, Netflix and HBO were among the bidders for The Lord of the Rings' TV show rights before Amazon ultimately sealed the deal. This is coming to light just before The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on Prime Video on September 2.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Netflix pitched The Tolkien Estate on one Lord of the Rings TV series and «several» spinoffs. Netflix's Ted Sarandos was part of the negotiations, the report said, which added that Netflix sent Tolkien's family «goodie bags» and free Roku devices to help convince them. The report had no other details on what Netflix's LOTR projects might have entailed in terms of story or scope.
The report added that HBO also pursued the Lord of the Rings TV show rights, seeking to expand its fantasy empire beyond Game of Thrones. While HBO was unsuccessful, its Game of Thrones series continues with the prequel show House of the Dragon, which is airing its first season now.
Additionally, the WSJ report said the Tolkien Estate and Warner Bros--which shopped the TV rights together, according to the report--expected to make between $50 million and $70 million in deal. In the end, however, Amazon reportedly paid almost $250 million. This was split about 50/50 between the Tolkien estate and Warner Bros., the report said.
The Lord of the Rings film, TV, and game rights--among others--are now owned by Embracer Group, which acquired The Tolkien Estate earlier this month. Embracer has said it is exploring films about Gandalf, Aragorn, Galadriel, and other Lord of the Rings characters.
The Rings of Power debuts two days early in theaters on August 31, but everyone else can watch starting September 1 at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET. The remaining episodes
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