Jeff Bezos Is Grateful the ‘Rings of Power’ Creators Ignored Him ‘at Exactly the Right Times’
TL;DR:
- Jeff Bezos addressed The Rings of Power creators at its U.K. premiere.
- The Amazon founder is grateful John D. Payne and Patrick McKay ignored certain notes.
- Bezos is a longtime fan of The Lord of the Rings franchise.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has made its debut on Prime Video, and Amazon isn’t holding back when it comes to this fantasy series. The show’s massive budget is evident in its two-part premiere, from the sprawling landscapes to the special effects. And Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reflected on the creation of The Rings of Power during its U.K. premiere. He revealed he offered notes to the showrunners — and that he’s grateful they didn’t take some of them.
Jeff Bezos spoke at ‘The Rings of Power’s U.K. premiere
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debuted on Prime Video on Sept. 1, kicking off the fall 2022 television season in spectacular fashion. But ahead of the show’s streaming debut, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos addressed The Rings of Power creators at its U.K. premiere.
A longtime fan of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world, Bezos had high praise for what John D. Payne and Patrick McKay accomplished. He spoke a bit about offering the pair notes during production. And apparently, Bezos is feeling thankful that they didn’t always heed his advice.
Jeff Bezos grateful ‘The Rings of Power’ creators ignored some of his notes
That’s right, Jeff Bezos offered The Rings of Power creators John D. Payne and Patrick McKay feedback on The Rings of Power. Per Variety, he admitted as much during his speech at the show’s U.K. premiere. Speaking to the showrunners, the Amazon founder emphasized his gratitude for their willingness to work with him — but he also underscored how important it was that they didn’t take all his notes to heart:
“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. 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.”
Bezos didn’t delve into details or specify what kinds of notes Payne and McKay ignored. However, he seems satisfied with the final product. And considering he’s a Lord of the Rings fan, that’s not a huge surprise.
Amazon’s founder is a longtime ‘The Lord of the Rings’ fan
The Rings of Power fans may be surprised to learn how involved Jeff Bezos was with the show’s production, but Amazon’s founder is a big Lord of the Rings fan.
At the Rings of Power premiere, Bezos emphasized his love of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, which goes back to his teenage years.
“My grandfather’s the one who introduced me to Tolkien,” Bezos recalled. “I fell in love immediately, I was probably 13 or 14 years old. I fell in love with the adventure of course, with the detailed universe, with the feelings of hope and optimism, with the idea that everybody has a role to play.”
It seems the very things Bezos enjoyed about Tolkien’s writings will be present in The Rings of Power — at least if the first two chapters are anything to judge by. We’ll have to keep watching to see if they remain major themes of the prequel.
The first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are streaming on Prime Video.
