Vernon Sanders Talks About Prime Video’s Returns After Season 1 Of ‘The Rings Of Power’
Image Source: Variety
Despite what some fans might think, The Rings of Power’s first season was a definitive success for Amazon Studios, which is good for the titanic company. Having spent a quarter-billion dollars on acquiring the TV rights for Middle-earth and pledging to spend an incredible and record-breaking one billion dollars on the series, Amazon was surely hedging their bets on the series.
In a recent interview with Deadline, Vernon Sanders, Head of Global TV for Amazon Studios, elaborated on the first season’s success, gave as many updates as he could for the upcoming season two, and even spilled some clues about season three.
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Some of the successes Sanders talked about include:
Most global vieweres overall (100 million)
Most minutes streamed (24 billion)
New signups (100 million and counting)
Attracted a record number of adults between the ages of 18-34 for a Prime Video original
40% of viewers came from households with an income greater than $100,000
They also saw an increase in the sale of Tolkien’s books. Sanders comes off as more than satisfied with the success of the show.
In terms of the status of season three, Sanders commented in the interview that they’re about two to three months into the development of season three and that he imagines fans will know more in the new year. Sanders stated that fans haven’t heard anything yet because they’re deep into the production for season two.
Image Source: TheOneRing.net
Speaking of season two, Sanders comes off really excited for the season’s potential to increase the pace and ramp up the story, especially now that Sauron’s identity has been revealed. Now that the rings, at least the three Elven rings, are fabricated, the stakes are higher, and the different races of Middle-earth will come to terms with the new power balance. He talked about bigger battles and iconic moments from the appendices and books that the company had spent so much money to acquire.
Filming has already begun on season two, and it has already been reported changes have come to season two, including production and filming, which has moved from New Zealand to the UK and Europe. Sanders commented on how this reflects the “new lands” that we’ll see in season two, places that “look very different than what we saw in season one.” (Deadline, 2022) Hopefully, this is a hint that they’ll take viewers to the Rhun for the first time, especially given that The Stranger and Nori are on their way into the ancient and mysterious land to the east.
The interview wrapped with a discussion about casting, and Sanders expressed sadness at the loss of Joseph Mawle, who played Adar and left the show, citing a desire to explore new characters. Sanders said while they’ve introduced some of the lore characters appearing in season two, like Cirdan, he did hint that other lore characters have yet to be announced, and he’s excited for people to find out who they are.
Season two of The Rings of Power is slated to debut in 2024. Season one is available on Amazon Prime Video.
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Source(s): Deadline
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