Amazon Prime Video’s new Lord of the Rings series is to be filmed in New Zealand, the streaming service has announced.
Set in Middle-earth, the television adaptation will explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring.
The books have been continued bestsellers and were named Amazon customers’ favourite book of the millennium in 1999 and Britain’s best-loved novel of all time in BBC’s The Big Read in 2003.
Peter Jackson’s big screen adaptations, also filmed in New Zealand, were box office hit and earned a combined gross of nearly $6 billion worldwide plus 17 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay said: “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.
“And 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.
“We are grateful to the people and the government of New Zealand and especially Auckland for supporting us during this pre-production phase.
“The abundant measure of Kiwi hospitality with which they have welcomed us has already made us feel right at home, and we are looking forward to deepening our partnership in the years to come.”