The Lord of the Rings is one of the most beloved fantasy franchises and the film adaptations only cemented its legacy as a modern-day classic. The trilogy of films directed by Peter Jackson was known for its groundbreaking visual effects and faithful adaptation of material that was deemed to be unadaptable.

Years later, the franchise received a revival with the Amazon Prime Video series The Rings of Power. The show was the most expensive series at the time and rivaled the production quality of Game of Thrones. While fans had polarizing views on the show, actor Bernard Hill, who played King Theoden had no kind words about the series.

Bernard Hill Found The Rings of Power To Be A Cash Grab

A still from Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power | Credits: Amazon Prime Video

Well, he is not wrong. Actor Bernard Hill, who played the cursed King Theoden in the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy had strong opinions about the epic fantasy series. The Titanic star has reportedly accused the show of being a cash grab when asked if he would watch the series.

The Rings of Power did not follow the story of Frodo Baggins to Mount Doom but instead focused on the history of Middle-Earth written by J.R.R. Tolkien in the appendices of the novels. According to CBC, Amazon bought the rights to the novels from Tolkien’s estate for a whopping $250 million.

Bernard Hill in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Credits: New Line Cinema

The show was expected to cost $100-150 million per season with a five-season commitment. According to many experts, the show was set to cost $1 billion in its entirety. Bernard Hill mentioned to Metro,

No, not interested. It’s a money-making venture and I’m not interested in watching that or being in it. Good luck to them and all that stuff but it’s not like the real thing.

The first season of the show received positive reviews but audiences reportedly found the show polarizing with accusations of review bombing also being made (via THR).

Bernard Hill Felt That The Lord of the Rings Franchise Pushed It With The Hobbit

A still from The Hobbit | Credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

The Lord of the Rings franchise getting accused of being a cash grab is not a new thing. After the success of the original trilogy, which earned over $2.9 billion collectively at the box office and won several Oscars including Best Picture for Return of the King, the franchise took almost a decade to be revived.

Peter Jackson announced an adaptation of The Hobbit, a prequel to the original trilogy that followed Bilbo Baggins’ adventures when he came across the One Ring. The relatively short novel was split into three films, which many considered unnecessary. Actor Bernard Hill too mentioned to Metro that he felt the makers pushed it with the franchise,

I think they were pushing it when they made The Hobbit. The Hobbit’s a tiny book. They did it well – they did it really, really well. 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.

Made on a much larger budget, The Hobbit films also earned over $2.9 billion but were not as well-received as the original The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The Rings of Power is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.