Good news, LOTR fans! The production crew of the Amazon series based in Middle Earth will be returning to the iconic landscapes in New Zealand that Peter Jackson scouted back on the original films. Pre-production has officially begun and the series will begin filming in Auckland soon.
J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, the leaders of the project 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.”
Similarly to the production process on the original films, Amazon are planning to build their own authentic sets. But the question on everyone’s lips is – Will Peter Jackson be involved? And the answer is . . . we don’t know. But we can live in hope. Ian McKellen has also mentioned that he would be interested in reprising his role as Gandalf in the series but this is yet to be confirmed. The series will be set in Middle Earth and will be looking into the events that happened prior to The Fellowship of the Ring.
Other executive producers include Bruce Richmond, Lindsey Weber, Sharon Tal Yguado, Gene Kelly, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison and Justin Doble.
Updates to follow as we learn more about the series.
