Bernard Hill, who’s best known for playing King Théoden in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, shared some choice words when asked about Prime Studios’ Rings of Power series.
In a recent interview with Metro, Hill fondly reflected on his time making Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. When asked if he’s watched Amazon Prime’s prequel series to the beloved films, he said, “No, not interested.”
“It’s a money-making venture and I’m not interested in watching that or being in it,” Hill added. “Good luck to them and all that stuff, but it’s not like the real thing.”
In the interview, Hill “completely” agreed that the franchise would have been better if it were left as just the original trilogy. Hill said the producers pushed it with The Hobbit trilogy, as the source material was only a small book.
“They did [The Hobbit] well – they did it really, really well,” Hill added. “They expanded it, [but] I think you can only stretch a piece of elastic so far. I think they managed it in The Hobbit because there were some really good things in The Hobbit without a doubt.”
The Rings of Power attracted a huge following its first season
Hill may never know what’s in store with The Rings of Power, but there are still plenty of viewers who catapulted the series to record-breaking numbers during its first season. Rings of Power attracted over 25 million viewers across the globe on its first day.
The Rings of Power‘s first season boasted a budget of over $400 million. If the series makes all five seasons as planned, it will stand as the most expensive TV show ever made, at over $1 billion.
The first season of The Rings of Power is available to stream now on Amazon Prime. Stay tuned for more content on all things Tolkien, including season two production and casting updates from The Rings of Power.