The Amazon Studios chief, Jennifer Salke, seemed aware of the stakes when the Rings of Power television adaptation premiered in September 2022. Not only was the show taking on one of the most fiercely loved pieces of fantasy literature but Amazon had invested $1bn – a staggering amount of money that made it the most expensive TV series ever.
“This was not for the faint-hearted,” Salke told the Los Angeles Times at the time.