15 reasons Amazon’s Lord of the Rings will be the next Game of Thrones

8. Amazon could make shows set in Tolkien’s world for decades to come

Based on the massive success of Game of Thrones, HBO recently ordered a pilot for a prequel series, with A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin revealing that plans for further prequel shows may also eventually come to series. There’s certainly enough backstory for it. Similarly, if Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show is a success, the company could draw on Tolkien’s rich legendarium and continue to bring us series set in Middle-earth until our grandkids are asking what a television is.

Like Martin’s world, Tolkien’s Middle-earth has a history that extends thousands of years into the past, with the Lord of the Rings saga serving as the climax to events set in motion long before any of our favorite heroes lived. And Amazon has the money to pay for series based on each decade.

Unbound by advertising or traditional broadcasting restrictions, Amazon could even go wild and air multiple interweaved Lord of the Rings shows simultaneously. Imagine watching the events on one show echo down through time to affect the characters on another show set hundreds or thousands of years later. We’re having a nerd heard attack just thinking about it. Ultimately though, the point is that Amazon has the resources to pull off anything it likes, as long as the first show lands.