New Zealand Becomes Middle Earth Once More

New Zealand is destined to become the set of the new Lord of the Rings prequel television series.

The TV series is based on the fantasy universe penned by JRR Tolkien, and was recently given the greenlight by Amazon TV. According to reports, it will have a budget of £660 million – eclipsing the cost of Peter Jackson’s original film trilogy.

New Zealand beat out Scotland for production location rights for the show, which is expected to be the most expensive ever made.

Pre-production has already started, but filming is expected to commence in the upcoming months, with three areas selected across the North Island of Auckland.

JD Payne and Patrick McKay, the series’ executive producers, 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.”

They added that they wanted “pristine coasts, forests, and mountains”, which had “world-class sets, studios, and highly skilled and experienced craftspeople”.

No date has been confirmed yet for when the series will air.