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TL;DR:

  • Netflix pitched the Tolkien Estate for the rights to The Lord of the Rings.
  • The company outbid Amazon, but the Tolkien Estate connected with Amazon more.
  • The Rings of Power perfectly blends J.R.R. Tolkien’s works with original content.
Morfydd Clark and Lloyd Owen as Galadriel and Elendil in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' for our article about the Netflix pitch for the rights to J.R.R. Tolkien's works. Both characters are riding horses across a beach.
Morfydd Clark and Lloyd Owen in ‘The Rings of Power’ | Ben Rothstein/Prime Video

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is becoming one of Amazon’s biggest series, but it wasn’t the only company to pitch the Tolkien Estate for the rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings. In fact, Netflix reportedly went to Tolkien’s family with a pitch that took the “Marvel approach” to Middle-earth. However, despite Netflix offering a high bid, the Tolkien Estate connected more with Amazon.

Netflix’s pitch for the rights to ‘The Lord of the Rings’ included individual Gandalf and Aragon series

That’s right, Netflix wanted the rights to The Lord of the Rings and J.R.R. Tolkien’s other works set in Middle-earth. And it seems they approached the Tolkien Estate with multiple ideas, which raised more concern than interest.

An insider told The Hollywood Reporter that the streamer wanted to expand on characters from The Lord of the Rings. Reportedly, its pitch included television series centered on both Aragorn and Gandalf. And while those characters are among Tolkien’s most popular, the estate felt it was a bit much.

“They took the Marvel approach, and that completely freaked out the estate,” the insider told THR.

Their reluctance is highlighted by the fact that Netflix supposedly outbid Amazon. Even with a lower number, Amazon won out — and that’s why they have The Rings of Power instead of their competitors.

Netflix reportedly outbid Amazon for ‘The Lord of the Rings’ rights, but the Tolkien Estate connected more with Amazon

Despite Amazon winning the rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s material, Netflix reportedly outbid the company. According to THR, sources claim that Netflix offered around $250 million for the rights to The Lord of the Rings-related content. However, the Tolkien Estate was swayed by Amazon’s willingness to include them in creative decision-making.

“It was our collective passion and fidelity to Tolkien that really won the day,” Vernon Sanders, co-head at Amazon Studios TV, told the outlet.

Of course, The Rings of Power has still made changes to Tolkien’s timeline and added its own characters and storylines. But it’s the perfect prequel to The Lord of the Rings, proving that the Tolkien Estate knew what it was going for.

‘The Rings of Power’ is the perfect prequel to ‘The Lord of the Rings’

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When Is ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ Set?

After seeing almost all of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1, it’s hard to deny that the Tolkien Estate made a good call going with Amazon — even if Netflix had some interesting ideas, too.

Amazon has walked a fine line between staying true to J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material and breathing its own life into the franchise. It has depicted major events from the Second Age of Middle-earth and presented them in a way that’s engaging and interesting. Perhaps most importantly, it’s tried to make its own legacy rather than lean on The Lord of the Rings movies — though it contains plenty of callbacks to Frodo’s (Elijah Wood) story.

We’ll have to keep watching to say for certain whether The Rings of Power is a success. But nearly a full season in, things are looking promising.

New episodes of The Rings of Power stream on Prime Video every Friday.

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