Call for Amazon to bring Tolkien epic back home to Midlands
AMAZON’S much-anticipated Lord of the Rings TV series “should be filmed in Birmingham”.
Birmingham City University’s senior lecturer in film distribution, Frank Mannion, made the comments after Amazon Studios announced it would move its major £336 million production to the UK from New Zealand.
With Birmingham’s rich links to Lord of the Rings – the book’s author JRR Tolkien lived here during his formative years – Mr Mannion believes the city would be the ideal shooting location.
Mr Mannion, who is also a film producer, said: “Ever since Tom Cruise successfully lobbied the culture secretary to allow Mission: Impossible and Jurassic World to continue filming in the UK, the industry here has boomed. Birmingham now needs studio space to join the movie gold rush.
“The city should initiate contacts with Amazon to find studio space for the TV series in Tolkien’s spiritual home, or at least work to highlight Tolkien connections with the city to take advantage of this development.
“When coupled with the government-backed £500 million film and TV production insurance scheme, as well as the 20 per cent productive rebate, the UK is the most attractive filming location in Europe.”
Tolkien spent much of his childhood in or near Birmingham and Sarehole Mill and Moseley Bog, are said to have inspired elements of his bestselling stories.
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, directed by Sir Peter Jackson, was released in the early noughties and went on to be one of the highestgrossing of all time.
In 2017, Amazon announced it had acquired the rights to the Tolkien epic, committing to a multi-season series with potential spin-offs.
Black Country comedian and actor Sir Lenny Henry, chancellor of Birmingham City University, was announced as joining the show’s cast in 2020.