Amazon Studios announced on Friday that the second season of its heavily invested TV series Lord of the Rings will be filmed in the UK, moving the fictional Middle Earth out of New Zealand for the first time. The rolling mountains, meadows and forests of New Zealand are well-known as the background for the filming of the movie Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogy. Amazon’s TV version of Lord of the Rings is currently being filmed in New Zealand, but the company said on Friday that it plans to move the second season of filming to the UK.
Amazon said: The transfer from New Zealand to the UK is in line with the studio’s strategy of expanding its production footprint and investing in studio space across the UK. Many of Amazon’s word-of-mouth series and movies have been shot in the UK. The New Zealand government stated that they learned of the decision yesterday and were disappointed with Amazon’s decision.
New Zealand Minister of Economic Development Stuart Nash (Stuart Nash) said in a statement: Amazon Studio recommends that the post-production work for the first season will continue in New Zealand until June 2022. Amazon said that the pre-production of the second season of The Lord of the Rings will begin in the UK next year.
Amazon Studios said earlier this month that the TV version of Lord of the Rings will be launched in September 2022 and is expected to be produced for a total of five seasons, making it one of the most expensive TV series in history. According to the New Zealand government, Amazon spent approximately US$465 million on the first season of The Lord of the Rings.
