Jeff Bezos has revealed that his son told him not to “eff up” The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power.
Speaking to the audience at the UK premiere of the new Amazon Prime Video series on Tuesday (August 30), the Amazon boss confessed that he and his family are massive fans of J.R.R Tolkien’s fantasy novel.
“My grandfather’s the one who introduced me to Tolkien,” said Bezos (via Variety). “I fell in love immediately, I was probably 13 or 14 years old. I fell in love with the adventure of course, with the detailed universe, with the feelings of hope and optimism, with the idea that everybody has a role to play.
“And I’m happy to report that that cycle continues today. My kids have become Tolkien fans as well.
He continued: “In fact, one of my boys I think approaches the level of a Tolkien scholar he knows so much about this universe. And after Amazon got involved in this project, my son came up to me one day, he looked me in the eyes, very sincerely, and he said: ‘Dad, please don’t eff this up.’
“And he was right. We know that this world is important to so many people, we know it’s a privilege to work inside this world and we know it’s a big responsibility.”
Also during his speech, Bezos thanked The Rings Of Power showrunners Patrick McKay and John D. Payne for “ignoring” his notes on the show.
“Every showrunner’s dream – and I mean every showrunner – their dream is to get notes on scripts and early cuts from the founder and executive chairman,” he joked.
“They loved that. I need to thank you both for listening whenever it helped but mostly I need to thank you for ignoring me at exactly the right times.”
The newest adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s acclaimed fantasy novel premieres this Friday (September 2) on Amazon Prime Video.
A synopsis for the show reads: “Set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters as they confront the re-emergence of evil in Middle-earth.”
Last week, the final trailer for the series was released, teasing the new world with depictions of Middle-earth in its Second Age as well as characters Galadriel, Elrond, High King Gil-galad and Celebrimbor. (NME)
