Ambitious ‘Lord of the Rings’ prequel hopes to slay dragons
By MARK KENNEDY
AP Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — The return of dragons has been a hit. Now it’s time for the return of the elves and dwarves. Amazon Studios is launching “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” an ambitious, years-in-the-making and very expensive salvo that will go head-to-head with another costly streaming fantasy epic: HBO’s “Game of Thrones” spinoff “House of the Dragon.” The series is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings and asides about Middle-earth’s Second Age, which preceded the Third Age’s “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” films and books. Amazon Prime Video will debut both the first two “The Rings of Power” episodes on Sept. 2.
