The most popular original series on Amazon was nominated for a «Emmy» in 2022, although it received mixed reviews from longtime fans of the Tolkien universe.
The Hollywood Reporter reports, that Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, who wrote and produced the first season, have now signed a new three-year deal with Amazon and have begun work on the third season of «The Rings of Power». The second season has already been completed and is scheduled to premiere in 2024.
«We started this amazing journey with J.D. and Patrick over five and a half years ago and have never looked back,» said Vernon Sanders, head of television at Amazon MGM Studios. «We are impressed by the scope and scale of their vision and the tremendous global success achieved by The Rings of Power in its first season. The studio is very pleased to extend our overall deal with these creators».
Amazon, in acquiring the television rights to «The Lord of the Rings», has committed to shoot five seasons «Rings of Power».
The first season of «The Lord of the Rings» takes place in the Second Age of Middle Earth — thousands of years before the events of «The Hobbit» and «The Lord of the Rings» — when Sauron and the elves created the rings of power and then secretly forged the One Ring to secretly control the rest. The first season, which cost Amazon at least $450 million, currently has an 83% from critics and only 38% from the audience on Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite Amazon’s claim that «The Rings of Power» is the most popular original show on its streaming service, only 37% of viewers of the first episode watched the series to the end