HBO Passed Up On The Chance To Work On The Lord Of The Rings TV Series

Lord of the Rings fans might wonder why the franchise's prequel TV series ended up in Amazon instead of HBO, however, it seems like the premium satellite and cable television network passed up on Warner Brother's potentially massive fantasy TV series because it prefers handling their own intellectual properties.

A report by Variety reveals that New Line had actually approached HBO to produce and develop a Lord of the Rings TV series only to be turned down. During the Business Insider's Ignition 2017 media conference yesterday HBO CEO Richard Pepler explained the network's decision to reject Warner Bros. offer, saying that they were both preoccupied with Game of Thrones and because "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."

It might sound like quite a shame, knowing the potential success and viewership The Lord of the Rings TV series could bring. Tolkien's franchise has a massive following, and the potential success of a prequel series is rather high. However, HBO doesn't seem to have any room for the series in its programming, seeing how it's only interested in projects that it owns itself.

There's no release date for The Lord of the Rings TV series on Amazon just yet but we'll let everyone know as soon as we get word.

Read: Original Gimli Actor Bashes Amazon's Lord Of The Rings Show