The Lord of the Rings prequel is well on the way, as it has been officially announced that the series be filmed in New Zealand! The new Amazon Prime show is clearly taking after the original trilogy, which was also filmed in the beautiful country. Speaking about choosing the setting of Middle-earth, the executive producers JD Payne and Patrick McKay said: "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."
© Photo: RexThe prequel will be filmed in New Zealand
They continued: "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… 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."
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The new series will look at the Middle-earth before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, the head of scripted series at Amazon Studios, Sharon Tal Yguado, said: "The Lord of the Rings is a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of generations of fans through literature and the big screen. We are honored to be working with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins and New Line on this exciting collaboration for television and are thrilled to be taking The Lord of the Rings fans on a new epic journey in Middle Earth."
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