Amazon Studios Announces New Zealand as Location for Its Upcoming Series Based on The Lord of the Rings

CULVER CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon Studios announced today that its series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic fantasy novels The Lord of the Rings will shoot in New Zealand. Pre-production has started, and production on the series will begin in Auckland in the coming months.

“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. “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.”

Set in Middle-earth, the television adaptation will explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. A world-renowned literary work, and winner of the International Fantasy Award and Prometheus Hall of Fame Award, The Lord of the Rings novels were named Amazon customers’ favorite book of the millennium in 1999 and Britain’s best-loved novel of all time in BBC’s The Big Read in 2003. Its theatrical adaptations, from New Line Cinema and Director Peter Jackson, earned a combined gross of nearly $6 billion worldwide and garnered a combined 17 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

The executive producers and showrunners for the series are J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay. J.A. Bayona (The Orphanage, Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom) will direct the first two episodes and also serve as executive producer, alongside his partner Belén Atienza. Executive Producers are Lindsey Weber (10 Cloverfield Lane), Bruce Richmond (Game of Thrones), Gene Kelly (Boardwalk Empire), Sharon Tal Yguado, Gennifer Hutchison (Breaking Bad), Jason Cahill (The Sopranos), and Justin Doble (Stranger Things).

About Prime Video

Prime Video is a premium streaming service that offers customers a vast collection of digital videos—all with the ease of finding what they love to watch in one place.

• Included with Prime: Watch thousands of popular movies and TV shows, including our critically-acclaimed Amazon Originals including the Emmy Award-winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Boys, Homecoming, Hanna, Fleabag, Good Omens, Donald Glover’s Guava Island, the Academy Award-winning Manchester by the Sea and The Salesman, Academy Award-nominated The Big Sick and Cold War, and the critically-acclaimed Beautiful Boy, exclusives, live sports including Thursday Night Football and licensed and self-published content available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
• Watch more with Prime Video Channels: Prime members can add 150+ channels in the US like HBO, Cinemax, STARZ, SHOWTIME, CBS All Access, NBA League Pass and MLB.tv—no extra apps to download, and no cable required. Only pay for the ones you want, and cancel anytime. View the full list of channels available at amazon.com/channels.
• Rent or Buy: Enjoy hundreds of thousands of titles, including new-release movies and entire seasons of current TV episodes, available for all Amazon customers to rent or buy.
• Instant access: Watch where and when you want with the Prime Video app on your smart TV, mobile device, Fire TV, Fire tablet, Apple TV, Chromecast, game consoles, Comcast X1 or from the web. For a complete list of compatible devices, visit amazon.com/howtostream.
• Enhanced experiences: Make the most of every viewing with 4K Ultra HD- and High Dynamic Range (HDR)-compatible content. Go behind the scenes of your favorite movies and TV shows with exclusive X-Ray access, powered by IMDb. Save it for later with select mobile downloads for offline viewing.

In addition to access to movies and TV shows included with Prime, the Prime membership includes unlimited fast free shipping options across all categories available on Amazon, more than two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime Music, secure photo storage with Prime Photos, unlimited reading with Prime Reading, unlimited access to a digital audiobook catalogue with Audible Channels for Prime, a rotating selection of free digital games and in-game loot with Twitch Prime, early access to select Lightning Deals, exclusive access and discounts to select items, and more. To sign-up for Prime or to find out more visit: amazon.com/prime.

Contacts

Amazon Prime Video Media Contacts

Alana Russo

Alana.Russo@amazonstudios.com

Tamara Golihew

tamara.golihew@amazonstudios.com