HBO Passes on Making 'Lord of the Rings' TV Series, Plans on Building Brand in Shows
HBO turned down the opportunity to bring the "Lord of the Rings" TV series over to their platform.
The premium television network turned down grabbing the chance to create the TV series for "Lord of the Rings" because, according to HBO chief executive officer (CEO) Richard Plepler, they already have "Game of Thrones."
Plepler shared at the 2017 Business Insider's Ignition media conference in New York that they have five upcoming prequels of "Game of Thrones" already underway and that HBO is satisfied with housing just one big-budget fantasy franchise, Variety confirmed.
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The network CEO also said that they preferred to work on something that had their branding.
"I'd rather own our IP [intellectual property] 100%... and I'd rather have the ability to work with a product that is inextricably linked to our brand," said Plepler.
Aside from the entire "Game of Thrones" franchise, Plepler teased that they have a lot of other shows coming up that could be a big hit with their audience, similar to HBO's "Westworld" series. The first season of the show pulled around 13 million viewers, which was double the viewership record of "Game of Thrones" in season 1.
Meanwhile, HBO already has a plan when it comes to competing with other platforms such as Amazon and Netflix who have bigger budgets for content compared to them.
According to Plepler, the company will focus on developing a brand that will embody "curated excellence." He added that their "best brand ambassadors" are the talent, highlighting the works of Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon in "Big Little Lies" and Robert De Niro in "The Wizard of Lies."
Amazon has already announced that they took over the global television rights of "The Lord of the Rings" based on J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novels, with a commitment to produce multiple seasons.
"We are honored to be working with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking The Lord of the Rings fans on a new epic journey in Middle Earth," Head of Scripted Series in Amazon Studios, Sharon Tal Yguado, announced.
