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Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez looked the part at the London premiere of Amazon’s “Rings of Power.” The project is the streamer’s most expensive series to date and a passion project of Bezos, who’s been a lifelong fan of the series of books written by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Bezos and Sanchez wore their most elegant looks, with Bezos wearing a black and simple suit and Sanchez wearing a red gown with a slit in the leg. She paired the look with silver jewelry and heels.
Sanchez was there for Bezos, who was likely feeling some of the pressure of the event and the responsibility of taking on the reins on one of the most treasured stories of all time. Per Variety, Bezos introduced the first two episodes of the series to a crowd in Leicestere Square, which included guests like J.R.R Tolkien’s grandson Michael Tolkien and many fans of the series. “Every showrunner’s dream – and I mean every showrunner – their dream is to get notes on scripts and early cuts from the founder and executive chairman,” he said, referring to Patrick McKayne and JD Payne. “They loved that. I need to thank you both for listening whenever it helped but mostly I need to thank you for ignoring me at exactly the right times.”
Bezos also spoke about his personal connection to “The Lord of The Rings,” and how much the series meant to him since he was a boy. Once he had kids, he introduced the series to them, passing on the torch. “My grandfather’s the one who introduced me to Tolkien,” he said. “I fell in love immediately, I was probably 13 or 14 years old. I fell in love with the adventure of course, with the detailed universe, with the feelings of hope and optimism, with the idea that everybody has a role to play. And I’m happy to report that that cycle continues today. My kids have become Tolkien fans as well. In fact, one of my boys I think approaches the level of a Tolkien scholar he knows so much about this universe. And after Amazon got involved in this project, my son came up to me one day, he looked me in the eyes, very sincerely, and he said: ‘Dad, please don’t eff this up.’ And he was right. We know that this world is important to so many people, we know it’s a privilege to work inside this world and we know it’s a big responsibility.”
“Rings of Power” premieres on September 2nd, on Prime Video.