The most coveted series of 2022 is finally here. The TV series is
based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel Lord of the Rings. Developed by J.D.
Payne and Patrick McKay, the story is set in the Second Age of Middle-Earth,
millennia before The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales,
The History of Middle-Earth and The Lord of the Rings happened. The American
fantasy series just dropped its final trailer on August 26 this year. 

The show is jointly produced by Amazon Studios, Tolkien Estate,
the Tolkien Trust, Harper Collins and New Line Cinema. It is set to stream on
Amazon Prime Videos from September 2 in the UK, and its first episode Shadows of
the Past and its follow-up will be available to all subscribers of the
platform. 

Also Read: ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ trailer shows impending war on Middle Earth

Considered the “most expensive tele-series in history” by the
Wall Street Journal, Business Insider has reported that Amazon has invested
much more than what was initially predicted. According to the reports, the
studio has invested a huge amount of $715 million in the making of the series. 

The Wall Street Journal estimates that it would be the same as
more than 5.1 million annual subscriptions to Amazon Prime in the United
States, which costs $139. Of course, Amazon Studios guarantees that such an
investment is made with the long term in mind and that they had to acquire the
property against the competition in some way. 

The American giant has spent almost 0.15% of its total revenue
in producing the eight episodes of the drama series, including the initial
value of marketing and advertising amount. The gross expenditure on a single
series has raised several eyebrows, but Amazon Executive Jennifer Salke has
defended the show’s budget by discussing the series’ vision. 

Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were previously
considered ‘unfilmable novels’, however, all previous notions were shattered
by the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which became a box-office behemoth grossing over
$3 billion worldwide. 

Putting a lot of money into a TV programme or movie is always a
risk, and this one is no different. The development of the Wheel of Time
series, which has been a hit on Prime Video, allowed the studio to get its feet
wet in the epic fantasy genre. Will this investment lead to fruition or not,
only time can tell.