They’re moving Middle-earth
TV series to be shot in the U.K., and New Zealand is not pleased
The Lord of the Rings television series is moving to Britain after Amazon announced Middle-earth was being taken out of New Zealand. Over a period of 20 years, six movies based on JRR Tolkien’s fantasy novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were filmed entirely in New Zealand, the birthplace of director Peter Jackson, and the streaming giant’s television series, a prequel to the books, followed suit for its first series.
But production for the second instalment is to be moved to the U.K., meaning the author’s vision of Middle-earth could finally be filmed in the landscape that inspired it.
With four further series planned of the asyet-untitled television program, the multi-million dollar production is set to be one of the most expensive shows in the history of the small screen.
But while the move to Britain is expected to receive the approval of the Tolkien Estate, which has previously indicated an interest in using British landscapes for filming, the decision has riled officials in New Zealand amid fears it could hit the country’s economy.
Amazon said the move was part of plans to increase the streaming giant’s “footprint” in the U.K., which could see thousands of jobs created.
Oliver Dowden, the British Culture Secretary, said he was “delighted” by Amazon’s decision.
“With our strengths in talent, production and the great environment created by U.K. government initiatives, including the creative tax reliefs and the Film and TV restart scheme, it’s clear that we are attracting the very best content makers in the world to our shores,” he said.
But Stuart Nash, New Zealand’s economic development minister, said he was “gutted” with Amazon’s move, with the production estimated to support around 2,000 jobs in the country.
“This is basically a lot of very large multinationals consolidating all their filming onto one site in the U.K.,” he said.
“Nothing to do with their experience here, or the skills or competency or capacity of the New Zealand film industry in any way, shape or form.”
In April, Nash proclaimed the upcoming television series could bring a “new wave of international tourism” to New Zealand after the country agreed a production deal with Amazon.
The Hobbit trilogy alone is thought to have boosted the economy by more than $1 billion, but officials fear visitors could now migrate to the U.K. instead.
The U.K. offers a tax rebate of 25 per cent on TV programs that cost more than 1 million pounds per hour to make, which Amazon’s vast budget for the second series will likely exceed, and the streaming company has staff already on the ground in Britain.
Amazon has offered few hints as to where the events of its as-yet untitled series will take place, or where the second run of episodes will be shot, but has confirmed production is on course to start in the U.K. in June next year.
The prospect is sure to be welcomed by Tolkien enthusiasts, who have long speculated on the real-life locations in the U.K. that may have inspired the fantastical settings in the books.
The Shire is often thought to have been based on the author’s native Worcestershire, while White Horse Hill in Oxfordshire has been suggested as the inspiration for Barrow Downs, where the hobbits are captured in The Fellowship of the Ring.
The upcoming television series will depict events in the Second Age of Middle- Earth, taking place roughly 1,000 years before the events of The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings.
The show is expected to premiere on Prime Video in September next year.