Elon Musk throws shade at Amazon’s ‘Rings of Power’: 'Tolkien is turning in his grave'

The simmering rivalry between the two most powerful CEOs in the world -- Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos -- apparently began in 2004 when both Blue Origin and SpaceX were in their infancy.

Amazon's $1 billion gamble on ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ has failed to impress Elon Musk. The 50-hour television series, that debuted globally on Prime Video Friday, delves into a journey of the events that happened thousands of years before the Third Age described in JRR Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy novels.

It was a risk touching the universe created by Tolkien in his hugely-beloved trilogy and its subsequent big-screen adaptations, so much so that after Amazon got involved in the project, top boss Jeff Bezos’ son requested him to not “eff this up.” It’s not clear what the younger Bezos makes of the LOTR prequel, but Tesla chief Elon Musk took no prisoners in his takedown of The Rings of Power.

“Tolkien is turning in his grave,” the billionaire tweeted Monday.

“Almost every male character so far is a coward, a jerk or both,” he said in a follow-up tweet. “Only Galadriel is brave, smart and nice.”

Almost every male character so far is a coward, a jerk or both. Only Galadriel is brave, smart and nice.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2022

Amazon paid $250 million to buy the rights, and some $465 million was spent on the first season alone. The group having committed to five seasons, the final sum should top one billion dollars by far.

Speaking at the show's premiere, Jeff Bezos said it was his grandfather who introduced him to the works of Tolkien. “My grandfather’s the one who introduced me to Tolkien. 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,” he said.

(With inputs from AFP)