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While a Lord of the Rings show would seem like a no-brainer for a network like HBO, especially with the Game of Thrones final season currently in production, Richard Plepler’s statement does make sense. The premium cable network wouldn’t be able to own the entire show, with Warner Bros. Television and the J.R.R. Tolkien estate in the mix. While a Lord of the Rings series would certainly cater to the same type of audience that watches Game of Thrones, the LOTR stories aren’t exactly known for being “edgy,” which is more in HBO’s wheelhouse.
“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.”
As for the show itself, there will be no overlap with the iconic Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, or even The Hobbit movie trilogy that is set before the original trilogy. This television adaptation will take place somewhere between both trilogies, set in Middle Earth, and will explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. The deal includes a potential additional spin-off series, although no details for those spin-off shows have been revealed. HBO is also developing a number of Game of Thrones spin-off shows although it isn’t clear when those shows will be ready.
It was recently revealed that Netflix will be spending a whopping $8 billion on original content next year, which represents a quarter of HBO’s programming budget. To stay competitive with the streaming giant, Richard Plepler plans to keep building a brand that focuses on, “curated excellence,” and not so much on an overwhelming amount of content. Richard Plepler also stated at the conference, courtesy of a Variety report, that they are on track for the biggest year in network history, in terms of subscriber and revenue growth.
