New Zealand will continue to be the home of Lord Of The Rings…

Information on Amazon’s excruciatingly expensive Lord Of The Rings TV series are still thin on the ground. We know that J.A. Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) is set to direct the first two episodes, and that Black Mirror: Bandersnatch star Will Poulter has been confirmed in a lead role, but that’s kind of …it? So far?

Well, at least we know one character is coming back for the new show – the country of New Zealand. Amazon confirmed this week that New Zealand will be the ongoing filming location for J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, having played host to all of Peter Jackson’s award-winning films.

“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,” showrunners and executive producers Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne said in a statement. “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.”

More details as they arrive…