Jeff Bezos: I want ‘Lord of the Rings’ to do more than make me richer

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is the biggest thing Amazon Prime Video has ever done, and it looks like the TV series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing has delivered big time.

SPOILER ALERT: The first two episodes of Prime Video’s epic The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are live, and here is a gallery of photos from Season 1. Note that some of the images might be spoilers for those who haven’t watched yet.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” debuted its first two episodes Thursday night — and hardcore Tolkien buffs aren’t doing a happy jig down at the Prancing Pony. “Rings of Power,” a $715 million gamble (some reports say it cost $1 billion) for Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service, has scored a measly 37% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes with more than 2,800 user reviews so far. (On the flip side, HBO’s “House of the Dragon” has an 85% fan score.)“Nothing short of cringeworthy,” wrote Eric.

House of the Dragon” vs. Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” It’s such fun, isn’t it? Warner Bros. and Jeff Bezos ruthlessly vying for our attention and money like we’re the hottest girl in school.

Spoilers ahead for the first two episodes of “The Rings of Power,” now streaming on Prime Video. “The Rings of Power” is set around a thousand years before Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his Fellowship took their journey in the movies. So, very few characters are old enough to still be kicking around.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez looked the part at the London premiere of Amazon’s “Rings of Power.” The project is the streamer’s most expensive series to date and a passion project of Bezos, who’s been a lifelong fan of the series of books written by J.R.R. Tolkien.Ismael Cruz Córdova: How the ‘Rings of Power’ star sacrificed it all to make his dreams come trueJeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez enjoyed the premiere screening event of ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’Bezos and Sanchez wore their most elegant looks, with Bezos wearing a black and simple suit and Sanchez wearing a red gown with a slit in the leg. She paired the look with silver jewelry and heels.Sanchez was there for Bezos, who was likely feeling some of the pressure of the event and the responsibility of taking on the reins on one of the most treasured stories of all time.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez link arms at the London, England premiere of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power held at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on Tuesday (August 30).

The wildly successful premiere of “House of the Dragon,” the prequel to HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” was criticized by some viewers for being a bit too overly familiar. Anyone who felt that way about the origin story of the Targaryens is likely to have a similar response to Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” the streaming giant’s incredibly expensive tale of the early days of Middle-earth and the characters created by J.R.R.

global premiere last night — and thanked the showrunners for ignoring his notes on the series.The Amazon founder traveled to London’s Leicester Square for the premiere of the big-budget TV show in a move to establish its importance to the company.Bezos, 58, honored showrunners Patrick McKay and John D. Payne while introducing the first two episodes of the series.“Every showrunner’s dream – and I mean every showrunner – their dream is to get notes on scripts and early cuts from the founder and executive chairman,” the Amazon boss joked. “They loved that.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power.Speaking to the audience at the UK premiere of the new Amazon Prime Video series on Tuesday (August 30), the Amazon boss confessed that he and his family are massive fans of J.R.R Tolkien’s fantasy novel.“My grandfather’s the one who introduced me to Tolkien,” said Bezos (via Variety). “I fell in love immediately, I was probably 13 or 14 years old.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power descended on London last night (August 30) for the new series’ red carpet world premiere.At London’s historic Leicester Square, nearly 2,000 people – comprising cast, crew, fans and more – attended the Odean Luxe and Cineworld. Among them were all 22 of the series’ cast regulars, including Robert Aramayo (Elrond), Maxim Baldry (Isildur), Morfydd Clark (Galadriel), Sir Lenny Henry (Sadoc Burrows), Ema Horvath (Eärien), Lloyd Owen (Elendil) and Charles Edwards (Celebrimbor).Also in attendance were showrunners J.D.

Lauren Sanchez and her boyfriend Jeff Bezos grabbed something delicious to eat at Nobu in Malibu, and the journalist and philanthropist dressed to look like a dark-haired Malibu Barbie. Sanchez stole all the flashlights while wearing a summery body-hugging staples dress. The bombshell completed the look with dark shades and minimal accessories.

K.J. Yossman Amazon boss Jeff Bezos (pictured above, left) thanked “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” showrunners Patrick McKay and John D. Payne at the U.K. premiere of the Amazon Prime Video series on Tuesday night – for ignoring his notes on the show. “Every showrunner’s dream – and I mean every showrunner – their dream is to get notes on scripts and early cuts from the founder and executive chairman,” Bezos quipped while introducing the first two episodes of the series at the Odeon Luxe cinema in Leicester Square. “They loved that. I need to thank you both for listening whenever it helped but mostly I need to thank you for ignoring me at exactly the right times.”

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power star Lenny Henry has praised the series for its diverse cast.Henry, who plays Sadoc Burrows in the forthcoming Prime Video series rebooting the franchise, addressed the newfound inclusivity.“That’s to do with it being the 21st century; people want to see themselves,” the actor said in an interview with The Times.“Of course, if you go back, there’s going to be that thing that prevails because the books don’t say… although some of the characters are described as hard-skinned and darker in complexion… but that was then, this is now and we’re telling the story now.”Discussing the entertainment industry more broadly, Henry added: “I didn’t see anybody in charge of anything that looked like me for a very long time, so that is lonely.“You’ve got all of these people now saying the same things that I started saying in 2000, which is ,‘the industry needs to change and can it hurry up, please.’”Earlier this year, Lenny Henry said it was “interesting” to observe an apparent lack of “Black and brown faces” at Glastonbury festival as well as other UK events.A new trailer for The Rings Of Power was released last week, showcasing Middle-earth in its Second Age and teasing characters  including Galadriel, Elrond, High King Gil-galad and Celebrimbor.The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video from September 2.

Veteran British comedian turned actor Sir Lenny Henry applauds the decision by producers of The Lord of The Rings series to create a racially diverse cast.

Battle-worn fighters, angry seas, stranded ships and dazzling waterfalls. Oh, and an imprisoned man who says “I am not the hero you seek.”

There won’t be sex, but there just might be wizards.Amazon Prime Video’s notoriously big-budget “Lord of the Rings” TV show has released its latest trailer, and this one has a lot more focus on its characters, including a key mysterious figure who just might be a younger version of Gandalf (played by Ian McKellan in the Peter Jackson movies). The story in “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is set around a thousand years before Frodo (Elijah Wood) and his Fellowship made their journey in the movies. The show’s plot will feature the forging of the rings of power, the rise of the villain Sauron and the rise and fall of the kingdom of Númenor.

The Lord of the Rings: The is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on September 2 but eager fans will get a chance to watch the first two episodes on the big screen days before. Amazon teamed up with Cinemark to screen the debut episodes on August 31 for one night only.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez walked Prime Video’s red carpet. They enjoyed the premiere screening event of “The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power” at The Culver Studios. In addition to Jeff and Lauren, the event also welcomed the project cast, which arrived at the beautifully constructed Middle-earth-themed red carpet, inspired by some of the character costumes in the show.