House Of The Dragon Showrunners Have An Interesting Take On Rings Of Power
This summer is a special one for fantasy fans as both "Game of Thrones" and "Lord of the Rings" will be debuting prequel projects. In the early 2000s, New Line Cinema bet nearly $300 million (via The Numbers) on indie horror director Peter Jackson and his vision of bringing J. R. R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" novels to life. This interest in the fantasy genre inadvertently led to HBO adapting George R. R. Martin's "Game of Thrones" series. Before the fantasy epic's second season, CNN suggested that the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy acted as a gateway to the genre and, in turn, "Game of Thrones."
In an interesting twist of faith, both "Lord of the Rings" and "Game of Thrones will be sharing the airwaves in the next few weeks. HBO is on track to debut "House of the Dragon," a prequel series that focuses on the downfall of the House Targaryen. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video has reportedly footed a bill of $465 million for "The Rings of Power," a prequel series set millenniums before the events of "Lord of the Rings." Both shows will debut weeks apart from one another, essentially competing to rule the fantasy genre.
Martin hasn't shied away from sharing the influence "Lord of the Rings" has had on his novels (via Cinemablend), which makes this summer's fantasy showdown all the more special. Similarly, the "House of the Dragon" creatives aren't afraid to bluntly discuss "The Rings of Power" debuting alongside their new show.
The House of the Dragon creatives don't see The Rings of Power as a threat
While fans and industry pundits are curious to see who will prevail as this year's fantasy champion, "House of the Dragon" showrunner Ryan Condal has a tempered view about his show's so-called "competition." During the "Game of Thrones" spin-off's premiere event earlier this week, The Hollywood Reporter was on hand to see Condal discuss how he wants to see both series succeed. "My hope is that both series work and find a huge fanbase and that there's a huge overlap in the fanbase," Condal said. The writer developed the series alongside George R. R. Martin. Condal said he hopes both shows work so more big-budget fantasy spectacles get made. "I desperately want Rings of Power to work. I'm going to be there watching it the first night it's available, I will watch all of them," the writer revealed.
Fan-favorite "Game of Thrones" director Miguel Sapochnik also chimed in, praising the "Lord of the Rings." "Lord of the Rings is great IP and great material... The more, the merrier really," Sapochnik said to the press. Sapochnik serves as showrunner on "House of the Dragon" alongside Condal.
It's hard to deny the similarities and stakes between the two shows — both are prequels and have high expectations. HBO notoriously scrapped a pricey "Game of Thrones" prequel pilot because it didn't feel right in favor of "House of the Dragon," while "The Rings of Power" is a half-billion dollar bet on a franchise that has never received the episodic treatment.