It kind of makes sense when you think about it.

HBO’s Richard Plepler has revealed that they didn’t bid on the J.R.R Tolkien TV adaptation for the simple reason that it already has a big-budget fantasy franchise in Game of Thrones.

He noted that the organisation also has five separate Game of Thrones prequels in the works and to take on ‘Rings’ too would be an overload of the fantasy genre.

“I’d rather own our IP [intellectual property] 100%… and I’d rather have the ability to work with a product that is inextricably linked to our brand,” he said.

He also noted that HBO had enough projects on the go and were "on track for [their] biggest year in history", citing Big Little Lies as one reason for their recent success.

In November we brought you news that Amazon had secured a $250 million production deal for the Lord of the Rings adaptation. When asked about the price tag Plepler quipped that it was “Monopoly money” to Amazon boss Jeff Bezos.

The reaction to news of a ‘Rings’ TV show has been mixed to say the least. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Via: Variety