Main image via New Zealand + SmarterTravel
The Shire is about to come alive once again as the upcoming Lord of the Rings series has been set to return to New Zealand to begin filming!
Amazon recently revealed that the upcoming series will be heading back to the lushes green forests of New Zealand. Pre-production on the series has already begun with production beginning in Auckland in the coming months.
Widely tipped to be the most-expensive series ever made – even bigger than Game of Thrones; it seems only natural that the series would be returning to the land that gave us the Shire, Modor, Hobbiton and all other parts of Middle-Earth.
via GIPHY
Not many details have been released about the LotR series just yet except that the high-budget project would most likely be taking place during the Second Age, long before all the events in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings novels.
“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 showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay.
“We’re happy that we are now able to officially confirm New Zealand as our home for our series based on stories for J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings,” they said.
With both LotR and The Hobbit being filmed in New Zealand, the country saw an economic boom to its tourism and jobs.
The large-scale productions transformed the country’s small film industry into a world leader, including in digital special effects.
As a whole, New Zealand welcomed Middle-earth as part of its cultural identity and even have giant models of dragons and wizards decorating the Wellington airport.
New Zealand’s Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford noted that Amazon’s project would create a range of benefits “including jobs and significant overseas investment.”
We can’t wait to go back to Middle-earth and we’re looking forward to see what the upcoming Lord of the Rings series will bring!
What are you most excited to see in the series?
Info via BBC
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