Production of the new television series “The Lord of the Rings” will move to the UK from New Zealand, as per Amazon Studios.
The untitled fantasy epic takes place thousands of years before the events of JR Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The change of location was part of a plan to expand manufacturing space and consolidate its presence in the UK. Filming for the first season of the series will end in New Zealand. It will be shown on Amazon Prime in September 2022. Production will then move to the UK and four more seasons are expected to be filmed.
This is a major blow to the New Zealand entertainment industry, where award-winning films have also been made. New Zealand’s Economic Development Minister Stuart Nash said the government was disappointed with the decision. The movie of the trilogy was filmed entirely in New Zealand.
Amazon Studios, the film and television arm of the tech giant, has already spent $ 465 million (£ 336.5 million) on the show’s first season.