WELLINGTON: Lord of the Rings: Amazon moves show to UK from New Zealand

WELLINGTON: Technology giant Amazon’s TV and
film business is moving production of its multi-million dollar Lord of the
Rings series to the UK from New Zealand.

The
as-yet-untitled fantasy epic is set thousands of years before the events in JRR
Tolkien’s books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

The
company said the move was part of a plan to expand its production space and
consolidate its footprint in the UK.

Amazon
Studios spent $465m (£336.5m) on the first season of the show.

With four
more seasons expected to be made, that would make it one of the most expensive
series in television history.

New
Zealand’s dramatic landscapes were also home to Oscar-winning director Peter
Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie trilogies.

Amazon
said work on season one of the show would be completed in the country before
production shifts to Britain.

In
a statement announcing the decision, Vernon Sanders, VP and Co-Head of TV, Amazon
Studios thanked “the people and the government of New Zealand for their
hospitality and dedication and for providing The Lord of the Rings series with
an incredible place to begin this epic journey.”

New
Zealand’s economic development minister Stuart Nash said he was disappointed by
the decision.

“I
am enormously proud of the New Zealand screen sector. The Amazon Studios’
decision in no way reflects the capabilities of our local film industry or the
talents of the people who work in it,” Mr Nash
added.

Season
one of the show is scheduled to make its worldwide debut on Amazon’s Prime
Video on 22 September next year.

The move
is set to be a major boost to the UK’s film and television production industry
as it brings hundreds of millions of dollars into the country.