'Lord of the Rings' star criticises Amazon show as ‘money-making venture’

Lord of the Rings star Bernard Hill has hit out at Amazon's TV show The Rings of Power, criticising it as a 'money making venture'.

Hill played King Theoden in the second and third films in Peter Jackson's Oscar winning trilogy but has no desire to watch the prequel series.

Speaking to Metro, Hill was asked if he had watched The Rings of Power, to which he replied: "No, not interested."

He went on to say: "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."

Hill also offered his thoughts on Jackson's follow-up Hobbit trilogy: "I think they were pushing it when they made The Hobbit. The Hobbit’s a tiny book.

Read more: Where is 'Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' filmed?

"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."

The Rings of Power was released on Prime Video earlier this year after Amazon committed over $1billion to the series.

At least five seasons of the show, which is is set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit, will be released under the current agreement.

Based on JRR Tolkien's appendices, the series charts the rise of the Sauron, the forging of the rings and the last alliance between elves and men.

Various characters from Lord of the Rings return on the show in younger iterations including Galadriel and Elrond played by Morfydd Clark and Robert Aramayo respectively.

The Rings of Power received mostly positive reviews but did face some criticism for its pacing.

Watch below: JRR Tolkien is 'turning in his grave' says Elon Musk.