Ever since Lord of the Rings founds success on the big screen in the early 2000s, New Zeland has been a kind of spiritual home for the franchise's film projects. So it's notable to see Amazon's Lord of the Rings series shifting away from New Zealand, with its second season set to film in the United Kingdom.
The shift to the U.K. comes as part of a broader strategy of "expanding [Amazon's] production footprint," the studio said in a release. It will join numerous other Amazon shows already filming in the UK.
"We want to thank the people and the government of New Zealand for their hospitality and dedication and for providing The Lord of the Rings series with an incredible place to begin this epic journey,” said Vernon Sanders, who is the co-head of television at Amazon Studios.
COO Albert Cheng added that Amazon does not intend to actively pursue the financial incentives to film in New Zeland, nor will it try to preserve the terms of its original agreement.
It seems to be the end of an era for the series, which made splendid use of New Zealand's distinct geography to bring Middle-earth to life. Lord of the Rings has been a major tourism driver for New Zealand since Peter Jackson wrapped the trilogy back in 2005, with themed tours being a popular destination for fans.
In the meantime, Amazon is pushing forward with one of the most ambitious projects in television history, with the first season alone reportedly costing a cool $465 million. Amazon seems to hope that the new series can fill the gap left by Game of Thrones, which hasn't been adequately replaced since wrapping its run in 2019.
We'll see how it all goes when Lord of the Rings premieres on September 2, 2022, with Season 2 set to begin pre-production in early 2022.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN.
Continue reading...
The shift to the U.K. comes as part of a broader strategy of "expanding [Amazon's] production footprint," the studio said in a release. It will join numerous other Amazon shows already filming in the UK.
"We want to thank the people and the government of New Zealand for their hospitality and dedication and for providing The Lord of the Rings series with an incredible place to begin this epic journey,” said Vernon Sanders, who is the co-head of television at Amazon Studios.
COO Albert Cheng added that Amazon does not intend to actively pursue the financial incentives to film in New Zeland, nor will it try to preserve the terms of its original agreement.
It seems to be the end of an era for the series, which made splendid use of New Zealand's distinct geography to bring Middle-earth to life. Lord of the Rings has been a major tourism driver for New Zealand since Peter Jackson wrapped the trilogy back in 2005, with themed tours being a popular destination for fans.
In the meantime, Amazon is pushing forward with one of the most ambitious projects in television history, with the first season alone reportedly costing a cool $465 million. Amazon seems to hope that the new series can fill the gap left by Game of Thrones, which hasn't been adequately replaced since wrapping its run in 2019.
We'll see how it all goes when Lord of the Rings premieres on September 2, 2022, with Season 2 set to begin pre-production in early 2022.
Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN.
Continue reading...