The Lord Of The Rings Returns To New Zealand As Amazon Announces Filming Plans

Rest easy, Lord of the Rings fans, New Zealand’s iconic landscapes will once again serve as Middle-earth in Amazon’s forthcoming Lord of the Rings series.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
The nation doubled as Middle-earth throughout The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies by New Zealand director Peter Jackson. It also lead to some rough union situations which, we imagine, will happen again as Amazon sets up shop.
The series takes viewers back to the Second Age of Middle-earth, when the Dark Lord Morgoth’s best lieutenant, the Maia spirit Sauron, attempted to sway hearts of Men and Elves and assisted in the forging of the Rings of Power. He also engaged in a prolonged conflict with the island nation of Numenor; eventually leading to his capture and the island’s destruction. While we’re still not sure where Amazon’s telling of Second Age history begins, we’re excited to see these events take shape in a format roughly consistent with the film series.
The Lord of The Rings is expected to debut sometime in 2021.