The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was originally billed as Prime Video's Game of Thrones-beater, but Season 1 struggled to win over longtime Middle-earth fans and never really found the same level of mainstream success.
After Season 1's budget reportedly ballooned to as much as $465 million, production moved from New Zealand to the UK for a second season that proved largely forgettable. While Season 3 finished shooting last December, many fans have wondered what the future holds in store for The Rings of Power and its supposed five-season plan.
The Witcher has been cut short on Netflix, and even the Harry Potter franchise scrapped the Fantastic Beasts movies when box office returns diminished. So, could the story of Sauron's quest to forge the One Ring go unresolved if Amazon decide Middle-earth is no longer a worthwhile investment?
Despite low viewership, a new report from The Ankler's Lesly Goldberg (via SFFGazette.com) confirms that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will receive its five-season run as planned on Prime Video. However, spin-offs likely won't move forward due to the franchise's high costs.
Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios are now under the leadership of Peter Friedlander, who is the Head of Global Television at Amazon MGM Studios.
While he's looking to cut costs, it seems Amazon is contracted to five seasons and 50 episodes after entering an agreement with the estate of author J.R.R. Tolkien, publisher HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema (the latter of which is forging ahead with its own plans for The Lord of the Rings). Friedlander is said to have visited the set and assured the creative team that they could finish the story as planned.
Depending on how Season 3 performs, it's not outside the realm of possibility that the story be condensed before concluding with Season 4, which is expected to release two years after the third batch of episodes premieres later in 2026.
Amazon's founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos, is thought to be a big supporter of The Rings of Power, with one source saying that the series remains under his "magical halo." It's previously been reported that Amazon would have to pay $20 million per season it doesn't produce.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth's history.
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 books, 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.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power hails from showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay. Lindsey Weber, Justin Doble, Kate Hazell, and Brändström also executive produce. Matthew Penry-Davey is producer and Ally O’Leary, Tim Keene, and Andrew Lee are co-producers.
Stay tuned for updates on Amazon's small-screen Middle-earth plans as we have them.