Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings prequel series is apparently going right back to where the six Peter Jackson-directed films were shot: New Zealand.
According to Deadline, Amazon have formally revealed that it will indeed be shooting in the place where Middle-earth was first brought to life in New Line’s influential film adaptations of writer J. R. R. Tolkien’s most famous stories. Filming will take place in Auckland, New Zealand in the next few months. While the city of Auckland is away from the countryside where significant portions of the New Line Cinema movies were shot, is still pretty close to home for Middle-earth.
Of course, a statement from showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, issued to Deadline, indicates that Auckland’s location will serve as a central hub for filming, while additional scenes will be shot outside of the city to take advantage of New Zealand’s landscapes:
“As we searched for the location in which we could bring to life the primordial beauty of the Second Age of Middle-earth, we knew we needed to find somewhere majestic, with pristine coasts, forests, and mountains, that also is a home to world-class sets, studios, and highly skilled and experienced craftspeople and other staff. And we’re happy that we are now able to officially confirm New Zealand as our home for our series based on stories from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. We are grateful to the people and the government of New Zealand and especially Auckland for supporting us during this pre-production phase. The abundant measure of Kiwi hospitality with which they have welcomed us has already made us feel right at home, and we are looking forward to deepening our partnership in the years to come.”
Amazon have invested a lot of money into the project – some reports suggesting that $250 million was spent on the rights, and another $250 million was spent for the first two seasons of a planed five-season series. In addition, there are some rumors that Amazon’s first season of the show will be 20 episodes long – much longer than the standard season order for an internet television series of such a scale. Amazon will be building their own sets for the series as well, likely to use and repurpose for subsequent seasons.
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series is being developed by JD Payne and Patrick McKay, who will lead a writers room that includes Game of Thrones alum Bryan Cogman. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom director J. A. Bayona is set to direct multiple episodes of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series. Will Poulter is set to star in one of the show’s many roles.
Full details on Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series are currently unknown, though it is reported to be before the opening prologue of Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring during the Second Age of Middle-earth. The Lord of the Rings series is produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line Cinema.
Amazon has not announced a released date for the Lord of the Rings series.
Source: Deadline
