Amazon Studios has officially announced that their untitled Middle Earth-based television series will commence production in the UK starting from Season 2.
Filming for the first season has now been completed. From January 2022, post-production will occur in conjunction with the second season’s production.
This upcoming Prime Video original aims to inject new life into the beloved J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy franchise. It aims to promise a new take as it will take place during the Second Age of Middle Earth; thousands of years before Bilbo Baggins’ adventures and The One Ring.
20 years have passed since the release of The Fellowship of the Ring back in 2001. The first chapter as well as: The Two Towers and The Return of the King became immense critical and financial successes. The latter in the trilogy won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
All of these entries had their respective productions in New Zealand and featured some of the country’s most significant conversation sites and national parks. The saga’s iconic sets can be distinguished through the sublime landscapes of New Zealand’s natural landmarks. It’s difficult to imagine these locations without thoughts of Hobbits, Orcs, and epic fantastical battles against Sauron’s army.
The news of the production’s drastic filming location changes is sure to cause an uproar amongst fans and critics of the celebrated franchise. It has even reached Lord of the Rings alumni, such as Elijah Wood, who responded with a facepalm emoji in a tweet. Another Twitter user further responded to her reaction saying that: “It belongs to New Zealand and nowhere else. Please for the love of hobbits don’t let it get ruined.”
It is certainly a shame that this prequel series will not feature the same landmarks that shaped the cinematic LOTR and Hobbit saga we acknowledge today. The film industry in New Zealand additionally suffers by losing one of their most acclaimed properties which helped put their name on the map.
Hopefully, with Amazon’s production shift, audiences will still be able to delve into the world of Middle Earth once again. Different atmosphere? Familiar atmosphere? Questions will remain unanswered until the series lands on Amazon Prime Video next year.
The series will premiere September 2, 2022.
Words by Ethan Soffe
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.