Amazon Studios has confirmed that the production of its hotly anticipated Lord of the Rings television series will be moving to England.
The upcoming fantasy epic explores the events of a time thousands of years before JRR Tolkien’s books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
It is a major blow for New Zealand’s entertainment industry where the award-winning movies were also filmed.
UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden welcomed the decision in a statement saying that thousands of high-quality jobs will be created and supported by The Lord of the Rings television series. “This is very exciting news,” he said.
Amazon Studios has been very active at producing new TV and film content. The company has already spent $465m (£336.5m) on the first season of the show.
The move was part of a plan to expand its production space and consolidate its footprint in the UK, it said.
The first season of the show will finish filming in New Zealand and be shown on Amazon Prime by September 2022. Production will then move to the UK, with four more seasons planned for production.
Stuart Nash, the economic development minister for New Zealand, said the government was “disappointed” by Amazon Studios’ decision to pull out, especially since the New Zealand government had previously granted them extra subsidies on its production.
Amazon was already receiving a 20% rebate on its expenses for filming The Lord of the Rings series in New Zealand before the government added an extra 5%.
At the time, Mr. Nash said the agreement with Amazon generated “local jobs and creates work for local businesses” and would “enable a new wave of international tourism branding and promotion for this country”.
Mr. Nash commented on the decision to move production from New Zealand, “The country’s film industry is incredibly competitive and highly mobile.” He went on to say that they have no regrets about giving this project their best shot with government support.
Amazon announced it would not “actively pursue” the additional 5% subsidy it had been granted.
Amazon Studios’ Vernon Sanders thanked the people 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 dramatic landscapes were also home to Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie trilogies.
The first film in “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, Fellowship of The Ring was released in December 2001 while its final part appeared in 2003.
Due to their success and popularity, these movies brought New Zealand nationwide acclaim as a top tourist destination, and helped increase annual visitors by 40% between 2001 and 2006 from 1.7 million people up to 2.4 million annually according to a report.
