Nearly two decades ago, director Peter Jackson brought J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings novels to life in a cinematic trilogy. To capture the beauty of Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, Jackson filmed the trilogy in his native New Zealand. Now, Amazon is following in Jackson’t footsteps with a Lord of the Rings live-action series. And the streaming giant has decided to bring the production back home to New Zealand as well.
Via The Hollywood Reporter, pre-production has already started for the LOTR series in New Zealand. It’s expected to begin filming next year. Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay also gushed about New Zealand in an official statement from Amazon.
“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,” said the duo. “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.”
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Thus far, only Will Poulter and Markella Kavenagh have been confirmed as cast members. However, Amazon hasn’t disclosed any details about whom they will portray.
Amazon has lined up Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom director J.A. Bayona to helm the first two episodes of LOTR. Bayona will also executive produce the series alongside Belén Atienza, Game of Thrones veteran Brice Richmond, and several others. It will likely debut on Amazon Prime in 2021 or 2022.
Are you glad to hear that Lord of the Rings will retain its New Zealand style for Middle-Earth? Let us know in the comment section below!
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