Filming locations in New Zealand for the Lord of the Rings prequel TV series – iNews

The Lord of the Rings movies showcased the best of New Zealands stunning countryside.

Now, new Amazon TV show The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has gone back to the country for a blockbuster of a prequel.

There are very high expectations. The show is the most expensive ever made, and will inevitably be compared to Game of Thrones as well as the new Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, which has just come out on HBO and Sky.

Here is everything you need to know about how it fits in.

The Rings of Power tells the story of the forging of the rings of the same name, the ascension of the dark lord Sauron, and the final alliance between humans and elves in the Second Age.

This means it is set thousands of years before the events of the Lord of the Rings books and films, long before the likes of Bilbo, Frodo and Sam graced Middle-earth.

However, thanks to the immortality of elves, there will be some characters you may recognise, including Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo).

Amazon Primes official synopsis for the show reads: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earths history.

This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of JRR Tolkiens The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and one of the greatest villains that ever flowed from Tolkiens pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.

Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil to Middle-earth.

From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Nmenor, to the farthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will come to Amazon Prime in the early hours Friday 2 September in the UK, while US viewers can see them on Thursday night there.

The first two episodes will drop at 2am UK time. New episodes will then be released individually every Friday at the same time.

There are eight episodes in the first series relatively short for a modern TV show. The final episode of season one will air on Friday 14 October.

Like the movies before, much of this series was filmed in New Zealand.

The films gave the countrys tourism an enormous boost, and it reportedly saw a jump in visitors from 1.7 to 2.4 million between 2000 and 2006.

In 2012 one per cent of visitors cited The Lord of the Rings as a reason they travelled to New Zealand, which was worth NZ$33m

It was mostly filmed between February 2020 August 2021 in Auckland, New Zealand. The set was beset with difficulty due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

They mostly used Kumeu Film Studios and Auckland Film Studios, and they headed to Hauraki Gulf/Tkapa Moana in the north.

Coastal city Piha will be featured, with its craggy landscape, as will the Coromandel Peninsula, which is known for its beaches and forested areas.

Fiordland national park and the Rangitikei District are also rumoured to be featured in the series.

Executive producers Patrick McKay and John D Payne said they had been looking for somewhere majestic, with pristine coasts, forests, and mountains.

The second series, however, will be filmed in the UK. It is thought this will be cheaper and make Europe more accessible.

Executive producer Lindsey Weber admitted leaving the country after wrapping was a hard departure.

Last year, sources were reported as saying Bray Film Studios and Bovingdon Airfield will be selected as locations, while others are likely to be announced as well.

It features the following actors:

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Filming locations in New Zealand for the Lord of the Rings prequel TV series - iNews