Lord of the Rings actor Bernard Hill says ‘money-making’ Rings of Power is ‘not the real thing’

Actor said Peter Jackson’s trilogy should have ‘completely’ put an end to future Tolkien adaptations

Not every Lord of the Rings actor is happy with The Rings of Power.

Starring in one of the most successful JRR Tolkien adaptations of all time does not automatically mean you will like what comes next – and Bernard Hill is proof of this.

The actor, who played King Theoden in Peter Jacksons’ trilogy (2001-03), has criticised Amazon Prime Video’s high-budget series, calling it “a money-making venture”.

Hill told Metro in a new interview: “I’m not interested in watching that or being in it.”

He added: “Good luck to them and all that stuff, but it’s not like the real thing.”

When asked if Jackson’s film series should have put an end to further Lord of the Rings adaptations, Hill, 77, replied: “Completely, yes.”

He even said Jackson was “pushing it” by turning The Hobbit into three films.

”It’s a tiny book,” he said, adding: “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.”

Bernard Hill also said Peter Jackson’s ‘Hobbit’ trilogy was stretched too thin (New Line Cinema)

The series, which shone a light on a period of Middle-earth history set thousands of years before Jackson’s trilogy. began on 1 September.

It also divided Tolkien readers, with some praising the lavish visual effects and others criticising the “goofy” dialogue.

Meanwhile, on Thursday (1 December), it was announced that the series had recast a major character for season two.