Latest news with #RingsOfPower
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Amazon has killed the wrong ludicrously expensive fantasy show
Abandon all spoke – The Wheel of Time has shuddered to a premature halt. After three seasons of sorcerous derring-do, Amazon has put the brakes on its $18 million-per-episode, Rosamund Pike-fronted adaptation of Robert Jordan's fantasy saga. The original novels run to 14 volumes. Prime Video made it through the first four and a bit. It's like pulling the plug on Lord of the Rings before second breakfast or killing off James Bond when he'd just only parked himself at the roulette table. To WoT's considerable fanbase, the cancellation is a huge injustice (an online petition is, of course, already up and running). But in one sense, Prime's instincts were absolutely correct. It's about time the streamer pulled the plug on a mega-budget fantasy series that blatantly attempts to be the new Game of Thrones and is based on a beloved source material. The only error is that it flushed the wrong franchise away. The obvious candidate for cancellation is Middle-earth prequel show The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Not only because it's terrible – its mishmash of awful wigs and even worse dialogue an insult to JRR Tolkien's meticulous world-building. More than that, the series has become a dead weight around the neck of Amazon – demonstrating the folly billionaires such as company founder Jeff Bezos can wreak with an unlimited budget and the conviction fantasy fans will swallow any tosh so long as it comes with wobbly prosthetic elf ears. Bezos has been criticised for firing Katy Perry into high orbit on his Blue Origin rocket. But if anything deserves to be blasted into deep space, it's the appalling Rings Of Power – which comes with a mind-bending per-episode budget of between $60 - $100 million (depending on whether you factor in the $250 million Amazon paid at the outset for the right to make merry in Middle-earth). In the case of Wheel of Time, the sheer amount of story to get through meant there was always a danger it would be killed off early. However, while the threat of cancellation was ever-present, the decision is widely understood to be related to the departure in March of Prime studio head Jennifer Salke. She had presided over a string of disasters, including Rings of Power and dead-on-arrival espionage series Citadel (a $1 billion budget and no viewers). With a track record like that, Prime was believed to have had misgivings about putting her in charge of James Bond after acquiring creative control of 007 from Eon Productions. Even by the standards of a mega corporation such as Amazon, Wheel of Time was a vast undertaking. In 2019, the company commenced building from scratch a full-scale town on a dedicated site 25 miles outside Prague. It was to serve as a base for a production that, all going well, would run for a decade (all did not go well). Pike – who played Gandalf-esque wizard Moiraine– had moved the Central Europe with her partner and children and expected to be there for the foreseeable. As co-producer on the show, she went all in on the Wheel of Time universe, even narrating several of the tie-in audiobooks (volume one, The Eye of the World, has a run time of 32 hours). She was joined by a cast of literally hundreds. There were grand battles involving a mind-boggling 3,500 FX shots in series one alone (1,000 more than in Marvel's Endgame) and a globe-hopping schedule, that took in Morocco, Italy, South Africa and the Canary Islands. In all, nearly 1,000 people are thought to have worked on the production – comparable to a large scale Hollywood movie. It was much better than Rings of Power too. Moiraine headed a solid cast that also included Peaky Blinders actress Natasha O'Keefe as a vengeful demon. The fight scenes were inventive, spectacularly violent and visually dazzling. Crucially, everything made sense – in contrast to Rings Of Power, which implied an absurd sexual chemistry between elf Queen Galadriel and the wicked Sauron. Compared to some of Jennifer Salke's more prominent flops, Wheel of Time was by no means a calamity. Reviews for series three were positive; ratings were solid. The sub-par production values and fake-looking costumes that had hobbled season one had been put right, too. But WoT was perceived as one of Salke's projects and news that it has been cast into the void is not surprising. The oliphaunt in the room is that fantasy is no longer a voguish genre. Amazon had acquired the rights to Wheel of Time after Jeff Bezos commanded underlings to present him with a project that had the potential to become the new Game of Thrones (the studio made its bid for Lord of the Rings around the same time). Going on for a decade later, Succession and The White Lotus have put eat-the-rich style social satire at the top of the Hollywood want list (see Julianne Moore's new Netflix project, Sirens). Long-haired weirdos running around in capes babbling about the Dark One simply doesn't cut it – especially not when each episode costs the best part of $20 million. Where does that leave Rings of Power? The show has been consistently dire, featuring cheap-looking sets, cheesy dialogue and – for reasons best known to the producers – a tribe of hobbit ancestors who sounded like 'thick Irish builders' from a 1970s sitcom. Horrific on every level, its trajectory has been the opposite of that of Wheel of Time, which slowly built a loyal audience (though viewership admittedly fell off from season one to two). In the case of Rings of Power, just one-third of viewers finished the first series, while audiences fell by half in year two. Why not cancel? The depressing answer is, as part of the rights deal, Prime Video is committed to making five seasons. Which means three more years of TV torture – for them and us. In a grim snapshot of television in 2025, a well-made (and much cheaper) show such as Wheel of Time is pitched into oblivion while the atrocious RoP gets to clop off into the sunset, scorned by practically everyone except the great unblinking eye of Jeff Bezos. It is a bleak end to a cautionary tale. One that, in years to come, is likely to be seen as a warning against Hollywood hubris and the dangers of throwing too much money at a billionaire's pipe dream.
Forbes
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Why Did Amazon Just Cancel A 97% Scored Prime Video Show?
The Wheel of Time Amazon Streaming services work in mysterious ways, and it was indeed pretty stunning on Friday when it was announced that Amazon Prime Video's The Wheel of Time was canceled, and would not be returning for a fourth season. The show had just seemed to find its groove. Season 1 had an 81% score and season 2 had an 86% score, but season 3? A stellar 97% critic score which you rarely see, especially on Amazon. So what happened here? A few things, supposedly: The Wheel of Time Rotten Tomatoes In a now poorly aged article, I wrote that there shouldn't be much to worry about in terms of the series getting a fourth season. Part of that was based on the confidence of the cast and showrunner. Here's Josha Stradowski (Rand al'Thor) last month: Then Rafe Judkins on his conversations with Amazon: Fans began to panic in recent weeks as cast members and the showrunner started sharing a fan-created 'renew Wheel of Time' petition for season 4, implying they too were not worried about it. It turns out everyone was right to worry, as here we are. It's frustrating for fans because Amazon is also airing The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, its billion-dollar fantasy series that has had a lukewarm reception and its viewership reportedly dropped by half from season 1 to season 2. It was renewed for season 3, albeit this cancellation of a high-budget family show does raise questions about whether Rings of Power will be able to get to its supposed five-season plan. So, Wheel of Time fans are sad, book-readers who didn't like the adaption didn't care, but with a stellar third season, I'd consider this a tragedy. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Some Very Bad News For ‘Wheel Of Time' Season 4 As Amazon Does The Unthinkable
The Wheel Of Time The Wheel Of Time was just starting to get good, so naturally Amazon decided to cancel the fantasy series. Season 3 will be its final season. The news comes after declining viewership numbers, even as critic and fan reception of the third season was better than ever. Season 1 got off to a pretty rough start, but Season 2 – for all its flaws – was a major improvement, and Season 3 was genuinely good fantasy television, even though it continued to make drastic changes from the source material. Season 3 was so good, in fact, that it inspired me to continue reading the Robert Jordan novels, a series I had a really hard time getting into. And while it's obvious that the books and the show diverged in too many ways to list, I appreciated that the third season actually made for great TV. This is in stark contrast to the steaming pile of orc manure that is Amazon's other big fantasy show, The Rings Of Power. For whatever reason – pride, perhaps – Amazon has renewed Rings Of Power despite its massive decline in viewership, while cancelling the wildly superior Wheel Of Time. Truly, I will never understand the decisions these streaming executives make. Sure, there are many ways that Wheel Of Time could have been better. While there was no feasible way to stick to the letter of the source material, a lot of the changes were definitely questionable, even in Season 3. Obviously, it would have been great if the first season had been stronger so that more fans stuck around as the show improved. But the cast was really starting to come into its own by Season 3, and all the talented actors and design team that made Season 3 the strongest yet deserved a chance at making Season 4 and beyond. Not finishing the story is a real slap in the face to all the loyal fans who did stick around. Perhaps live-action is not the best way to adapt these long, ultimately very expensive, fantasy epics. An animated Wheel Of Time, for instance, could stick closer to the source material while costing a fraction of what a live-action series costs. Amazon's best fantasy series, The Legend Of Vox Machina, proves that you can do a lot more with fantasy when it's animated while still capturing all the life and action and magic of the story. The Wheel Of Time series was adapted for thes creen by showrunner Rafe Judkins based on the novels by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson. It starred Rosamund Pike as Moiraine Damodred, Daniel Henney as al'Lan Mandragoran, Josha Stradowski as Rand al'Thor, Zoë Robins as Nynaeve al'Meara, Madeleine Madden as Egwene al'Vere, Marcus Rutherford as Perrin Aybara, Dónal Finn as Mat Cauthon, and Ceara Coveney as Elayne Trakand. At least we still have the books. Speaking of fantasy novels, read my review of Joe Abercrombie's latest release, The Devils, right here. Abercrombie's First Law series would make for great TV, but I would prefer an animated show to another lackluster attempt at live-action fantasy.
Forbes
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Why Fans Shouldn't Worry About A ‘Wheel Of Time' Season 4 Renewal
Wheel of Time I've seen some amount of panic among fans of The Wheel of Time that it's been a while since the show ended and there has not been a renewal announcement for season 4 after the truly excellent season 3. Fans are sharing a petition with almost two hundred thousand 'letters sent,' and they've seen it shared by the show's creator and members of the cast, which they believe implies that maybe there's some desperation setting in that this might not happen. While I don't find myself often being an optimist, I think fans may be overly stressed here a bit, and there are a number of reasons that it seems unlikely Amazon will cancel Wheel of Time ahead of season 4, or really before it's able to concoct some sort of conclusion overall (let's be real, no matter what this isn't going to run for as many seasons as the nearly endless amount of books). Wheel of Time The fact that it's been three weeks or so since The Wheel of Time season 3's finale aired and there's been no word about renewal…doesn't mean anything. A month plus is easily more than standard in the streaming industry, and barely any shows get renewals immediately or while a season is still airing. All we have to do is look to Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Amazon's other big (much bigger, in terms of scope and budget) fantasy series which once upon a time seemed guaranteed to run for five seasons at least. But after viewership for season 2 was reportedly cut in half from season 1, it took three and a half months after the finale to get official word that the series was coming back for season 3. More than most, I believe Amazon also respects quality to the point where they want most of their series outside of perhaps horrific underperformers (which Wheel of Time is not) to be able to exist as coherent wholes rather than impose a mid-story cancellation. Wheel of Time has always reviewed pretty well, but season 3 rocketed up to a stunning 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and I don't think it's an exaggeration that it's currently the best fantasy series on TV. That's something Amazon is not going to take lightly. Wheel of Time Finally, I don't think the cast is desperate, I think they're just sharing the petition as a form of appreciation for its fanbase, not that they badly need the signatures to get Amazon to pay attention. We've already heard optimistic comments from the cast about season 4 to this point. Here's Josha Stradowski (Rand al'Thor) last month: 'Yeah, we're confident that a fourth season will be greenlit.' And then showrunner Rafe Judkins about why they went with Amazon in the first place: 'That is the same thing that I've been sort of asking Amazon,' Judkins said. 'What is the end game for the show? I really want to deliver this full series, so how do we best do that?' 'I think one reason we went with Amazon, because we had options of who was going to buy the series when we first went out with it, is that Amazon felt like a place where they do want to invest in shows for the long term. There's not a lot of places doing that anymore.' It's been three weeks, that's too soon to worry about anything. And really, we see shows renewed after months, so we're far away from some sort of panic point. All current signs point to Amazon renewing Wheel of Time for season 4 eventually, and I don't think fans should be stressing too much. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, Bluesky and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
News.com.au
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
HBO's new Harry Potter series to be one of the most expensive shows ever made
The new Harry Potter series is on track to become the expensive TV show ever made. The rebooted HBO show based off J.K Rowling's beloved books is slated to cost a staggering $AU155 million per episode, according to The Sun. Currently, the costliest show in history is Amazon Prime Video's Lord of the Rings spin-off, The Rings of Power, which had a $US60 million ($AU93 million) per episode budget when the first season was made in 2020. Rings of Power 's first season had eight episodes, while the debut Harry Potter series will reportedly have six. It's set to begin filming at the company's 200-acre studio in Leavesden, Herts in the coming months. HBO's upcoming TV adaptation comes 14 years after the eighth and final Warner Bros. film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was released in cinemas, bringing to an end a frenzied decade-long box office run. Made on a budget of $US250 million, which was a shared cost with its predecessor film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, it enjoyed a hefty global box office gross of $US1.342 billion. The magical stories jumped off the page and have become an everlasting cultural phenomenon, spawning theme parks, merchandise and video games, with the Harry Potter brand said to be worth more than $US25 billion. Meanwhile, an announcement about the three unknown actors set to portray Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley is imminent, per The Sun. Warner Bros. has picked its leading trio from more than 32,000 actors who sent in audition tapes across the UK. Established actors have already joined the cast, with John Lithgow set to play Albus Dumbledore, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid. Elsewhere in the cast, Janet McTeer will portray Professor Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Professor Severus Snape and Luke Thallon will fill the shoes of Professor Quirinus Quirrell. Despite Rowling's controversial reputation in recent years due to her outspoken views about the transgender community, the billionaire author is an executive producer on the show. HBO CEO Casey Bloys confirmed in November Rowling had 'been fairly involved' in the making of the show, which is expected to debut in 2026. 'She was very involved in the process of selecting the writer and the director,' Bloys told reporters at a press event. 'I imagine she'll have opinions on casting. It hasn't affected the casting or hiring of writers or production staff or anything, so we haven't felt any impact from that.' It's been reported the show will run for a whopping seven seasons, with each season focused on one of Rowling's books. Warner Bros. has also stated it would be a 'decade-long series', which Lithgow confirmed in a recent interview. 'Of course, it was a big decision because it's probably the last major role I'll play,' Lithgow said in April. 'It's an eight-year commitment so I was just thinking about mortality and that this is a very good winding-down role.'
