In spite of the fact that Jeff Bezos is the founder of Amazon, he is still an avid "Lord of the Rings" fan.
According to the 58-year-old billionaire, the highly anticipated prequel "The Rings of Power" is more than just a cash cow, as some people previously claimed.
It is both a privilege and a responsibility to tell the story of the forging of the 'Rings of Power' in Middle-earth. "I hope we do [author J.R.R.] Tolkien's work justice," he told Time magazine.
"It goes beyond making a show that is commercially successful. As kids, all of us involved in the production of this show read these stories, so we are deeply invested in it," he added.
According to critics, the series - set 3,000 years before the original cult classic films - is Prime Video's big-ticket item to stay relevant.
There was concern that Amazon only acquired the series in order to gain subscribers and, therefore, money.
Bezos is reportedly an avid fan of sci-fi and fantasy, so much so that he personally defended a "Lord of the Rings" spinoff during negotiations in 2017, Variety reported.
Also, he is reportedly credited with saving SyFy's "The Expanse" from being shut down when it was close to being shut down in 2018 before Prime Video stepped in and rescued it from being shut down.
Amazon acquired the rights to "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" for $250 million in 2017 thanks to Bezos' involvement.
In addition to staying true to Tolkien's original tales, Amazon created new, racially diverse roles.