Amazon is shifting production of its big budget Lord of the Rings series to the UK.
The show’s first season has been filmed in New Zealand with all future seasons originally planned to follow suit, however the company’s studio division has now announced that production is coming to the UK.
In a statement, Amazon said the move “aligns with the studio’s strategy of expanding its production footprint and investing in studio space across the UK, with many of Amazon Studios’ tentpole series and films already calling the UK home.”
Production recently wrapped for the first series, which will premiere on Prime Video in more than 240 countries around the world on Friday, September 2, 2022.
Post production for season one will continue in New Zealand until June 2022, while pre-production on season two will begin in the UK from January.
The drama covers J.R.R. Tolkien’s Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. Beginning in a time of relative peace, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.
“We want to thank the people and the government of New Zealand for their hospitality and dedication and for providing The Lord of the Rings series with an incredible place to begin this epic journey,” said Vernon Sanders, VP and Co-Head of TV, Amazon Studios.
“We are grateful to the New Zealand Film Commission, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Tourism New Zealand, Auckland Unlimited, and others for their tremendous collaboration that supported the New Zealand film sector and the local economy during the production of Season One.”