‘LOTR: The Rings Of Power’: Vernon Sanders Talks Season 1 Return On Investment & Season 3 Renewal, Teases Faster Pace & Bigger Battles In Season 2

deadline.com:

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power started setting records before a frame of it had been released when word came out of New Zealand last year that its eight-episode first season cost a record $465 million to produce (not factoring in tax rebates and start-up costs amortization.) In an interview with Deadline, Vernon Sanders, Head of Global TV for Amazon Studios, says the financial bet “has more than paid off.” He addresses the success of the show on Prime Video — where it broke records for most global viewers in its first day (25 million) and overall (more than 100 million), for minutes streamed (24 billion) and signups worldwide during its launch window, attracted younger viewers (record number of adults 18-34 for a Prime Video original) and affluent audiences (40% coming from households with income greater than $100,000) — and beyond, boosting Amazon’s sales of J.R.R.

Tolkien books on which the series was based. In the interview, Sanders speaks about what to expect from Season 2, which is currently filming, including ramping up the pace of storytelling and the scope of battle scenes.

He discusses the impact of moving production from New Zealand to the UK; whether Amazon is committed to the vision of The Rings of Power writers, showrunners and executive producers J.D.

Payne and Patrick McKay for the series to span five seasons; and when we can expect a Season 3 renewal. Sanders also addresses the recasting of Adar, played by Joseph Mawle in Season 1, with Sam Hazeldine, and teases the introduction of more familiar characters from lore. (As McKay revealed in the season finale of Deadline’s Inside the Ring aftershow, elf Círdan, who carries one of the three rings forged by Celebrimbor until he surrenders it to