Amazon Studios Announces New Zealand as Location for Its Upcoming Series Based on the Lord of the Rings
New Zealand – Sept. 18, 2019 – Amazon Studios announced today that its series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic fantasy
novels The Lord of the Rings will shoot in New Zealand. Pre-production has started, and production on the series will begin in Auckland in the
coming months.
“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,” said showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. “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.”
Set in Middle-earth, the television adaptation will explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of
the Ring. A world-renowned literary work, and winner of the International Fantasy Award and Prometheus Hall of Fame
Award, The Lord of the Rings novels were named Amazon customers’ favorite book of the millennium in 1999 and Britain’s
best-loved novel of all time in BBC’s The Big Read in 2003. Its theatrical adaptations, from New Line Cinema and
Director Peter Jackson, earned a combined gross of nearly $6 billion worldwide and garnered a combined 17 Academy
Awards, including Best Picture.
The executive producers and showrunners for the series are J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. J.A. Bayona (The Orphanage,
Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom) will direct the first two episodes and also serve as executive producer, alongside his
partner Belén Atienza. Executive Producers are Lindsey Weber (10 Cloverfield Lane), Bruce Richmond (Game of Thrones),
Gene Kelly (Boardwalk Empire), Sharon Tal Yguado, Gennifer Hutchison (Breaking Bad), Jason Cahill (The Sopranos), and
Justin Doble (Stranger Things).
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