Netflix Offered More Money for THE LORD OF THE RINGS Rights Than Amazon

Here’s an interesting bit of information regarding the rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. It turns out that Netflix offered the Tolkien Estate more money for those rights than Amazon, who ended up landing them, which led to the creation of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

According to a profile in The Hollywood Reporter that focuses on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power showrunners Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, some details were shared about how the other streamers attempted to win over the Tolkien estate.

It’s reported that Netflix was willing to spend $250 million dollars for the rights to The Lord of the Rings, which is what the Tolkien Estate was asking for. But, they ended up giving it to Amazon, who paid "tens of millions less."

So, why did they go with Amazon even, though, they offered less money? According to the report, Amazon’s pitch to them was "a pledge of a close relationship that would give the estate a creative seat at the table so it could protect Tolkien's legacy."

Apparently, it’s that additional level of control that was a major factor in deciding to go with Amazon Prime Video. As for Netflix, their pitch included a Marvel Cinematic Universe-type approach, which would have included shows that would have specifically focused on characters such as Gandalf and Aragorn. That pitch is said to have "completely freaked out the estate.”

In the end, I think the Tolkien Estate made the right decision. It’s good to know that they are involved with the creative process. On top of that, I seriously doubt Netflix would have committed to a five-season plan that would cost them over a billion dollars.

What do you think about the Tolkien Estate turning down Netflix for Amazon Prime Video?