Middle Earth remains in New Zealand as Amazon Studios picked the country as the location for its most awaited Lord of the Rings TV series.
Amazon Studios said the adaptation will explore fresh storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic “The Fellowship of the Ring.”
The show will reportedly cost US$1 billion, touted to be the most expensive TV show ever made.
The successful Lord of the Rings film trilogy, which were shot in New Zealand in the early 2000s, improved the country’s tourism and employment.
New Zealand beat rival Scotland as the production location of the series. Three sites in Auckland in North Island have been identified.
New Zealand’s Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford said the project would create a range of benefits “including jobs and significant overseas investment”.
Amazon Studios, in a statement on Tuesday, said pre-production had started. The shooting in Auckland would begin in the coming months.
