Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings: The Rings of Power did not want to be influenced by Game of Thrones according to Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke.
“This was not our ‘Game of Thrones'”
“We knew from the beginning that this was not our ‘Game of Thrones,'” Salke says. “In fact, the fans spoke up from the minute the deal was closed, saying, ‘Please don’t try to insert sex and a level of provocative violence,’ things that don’t feel true to the stories that Tolkien wanted to tell.”
Instead, Salke says that Amazon wanted to create “something to our global customer base that is hopeful and has light and that a family can watch. So many people have grown up with this literature, and we wanted this series to pay it forward for new generations of Tolkien lovers. The line we’ve been using is ‘If you’re old enough to read the books, you’re old enough to watch the show.”
The difference between the shows is night and day and that is mostly due to the tone of the shows. But comparisons between the two remain as the prequel of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon is also airing.
The first two episodes of The Rings of Power had a great debut as the watch time surpassed 1.25 million minutes in the first four days or roughly 10 million views. That has made it Amazon’s most viewed original series according to retail giant.
Made for Everyone
With four more seasons on the way and season two already starting filming, Amazon has big plans for the show. And they want to do it without having to copy the Formula of sex and violence that Game of Thrones has come to be known for.