The streamer has two major fantasy franchises to contend with
With 2022 now imminently approaching, streaming services have begun to look forward into the new year in terms of the upcoming TV and movie content they plan on releasing.
There's one big release from Amazon Prime Video that has a lot of people excited - 'Lord of the Rings'. However, in light of the huge success of 'The Wheel of Time' over the past month, the streamer has said they have to be careful with how they release both franchises on the platform without one overshadowing the other.
When you think about it, it's a pretty big decision to have to make, to avoid confusion or similarities being drawn. Both franchises are based on a series of books; both have elements of fantasy and magic, set during a time many years in the past; and both are beloved by fans across the world.
While 'Lord of the Rings' already received a Peter Jackson trilogy (and prequel trilogy in 'The Hobbit'), there is a lot riding on Amazon to deliver a fresh new interpretation in their epic new TV series, set to be released next September.
The recent release of 'The Wheel of Time' in November saw the series climb to the top of Amazon's viewership statistics. Fans ensured it became the streamer's most-viewed original series since 'Hunters', earning it a whopping 1.16 billion viewing minutes during its debut week. With season two officially greenlit months before its release, Amazon may have to change tactics in how the series releases going forward, especially with 'LOTR' also on the platform.
Amazon Studios’ Head of Global TV, Vernon Sanders, discussed with TV Line what 'The Wheel of Time' success could mean for future releases. He said: "We are going to be really thoughtful about how we release these shows.
"In our minds, they are very different shows, but we are cognizant of our genre fans, and we are excited about the collection of content we have — those two, along with 'The Expanse' and 'The Boys', 'Carnival Row' is coming back, we have a fantastic show with [Westworld creators] Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy called 'The Peripheral'…. We are very excited about the future."
He also said that season two of 'The Wheel of Time' is already being edited, adding: "Rafe [series showrunner Rafe Judkins] and his team just sent us their first cuts of the first episodes of season two, and I cannot wait for the audience to see what we have in store."
Now that 'Game of Thrones' has kicked the bucket (but it does have a prequel series arriving next year) both 'Lord of the Ring' and 'The Wheel of Time' have the potential to fill that "epic fantasy void" we've been searching for. It will be interesting to see just how long both franchises manage to run for - and if 'LOTR' manages to live up to the hype.