Until now, Lord of the Rings has been inextricably linked to New Zealand’s spectacular landscapes, but that’s coming to an end. Amazon has announced that the United Kingdom will be the setting for the second season of the television series. Shooting will start in June of 2022.
–
“The move fits in with our plan to expand our production and invest in studios in the UK,” Amazon said. ‘Many of our productions are already recorded there.’ Amazon is indeed already active there with the ‘Good Omens’ series.
The shooting of the first season will continue in New Zealand. In April, the country had already granted financial benefits to Amazon Studios. A 20 percent discount on filming costs was approved, and the government added another 5 percent. Amazon says it will not actively pursue that extra 5 percent.
But the United Kingdom is also willing to offer benefits to the film industry, and the strict corona measures in New Zealand are said to be part of the decision. New Zealand’s borders will not open again at the earliest next year, it was announced on Thursday, and that strict border policy is making recordings more difficult.
The New Zealand government says it is “disappointed” by the decision. “Post-production of the first season will take place in New Zealand until June 2022,” Economy Secretary Stuart Nash said in a statement.
The Lord of the Rings television series will be an expensive production, with the first season alone costing about 465 million dollars (400 million euros). Almost 2,000 people are working on the production and a total of five seasons are planned. If everything goes through, it will be one of the most expensive television series ever.
The story is set thousands of years before the events of Jrr Tolkien’s books. The first season will launch in September 2022 and will be shown in 240 countries. A new episode will then be released every week.
– .
