Finally certainty for fans of the "Lord of the Rings" cosmos by J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973): On September 2, 2022, the long-awaited series from Middle-earth will finally start on Amazon Prime Video. Hopes that Amazon production could start as early as 2021 had previously been dashed, although filming was completed this summer.
The official Twitter account of the series announced the "beginning of a new journey" on September 2, 2022 exactly 13 months in advance. A first picture from the production accompanied the announcement of the launch date. A figure robed in white in a landscape with a huge castle in the background.
Cost and origin
The heirs of J.R.R. In 2017, Tolkien entered into negotiations with various providers about a series based on the books about the history of Middle-earth and the eternal struggle between good and evil. Amazon Prime Video was awarded the contract. The online trading giant's streaming service has previously shown itself to be ambitious in launching a major fantasy series to follow "Game of Thrones" (2011-2019).
Amazon spent a lot of money on this goal. The group paid 250 million US dollars to the Tolkien Estate. The five seasons of the series are said to cost a total of one billion US dollars. This would make the "Lord of the Rings" series the most expensive series of all time. So far, the record was held by the war drama "The Pacific" from 2010 with a budget of almost a paltry 217 million.
The first season consists of eight episodes, season two is to be shot immediately after a short break. The three films that were released in cinemas between 2001 and 2003 were also made using this back-to-back process. The first two episodes were directed by J.A. Bayona (46), as director of "Seven Minutes After Midnight" and "Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom" experienced with fantasy and high-priced productions.
Time of action
The creators of the series have kept the exact time of action a secret for a long time. On Twitter, they fed fans' curiosity by posting multiple maps of Middle-earth in different ages. Only at the end of the posting series did those responsible lift the veil: The series takes place in the second age of the "Lord of the Rings" world, i.e. thousands of years before the third age in which the action of the "Lord of the Rings" and the "Hobbit "movies expires. In the Second Age there is still a fragile peace, but evil is already raising its head. It is also rumored to be about the development of Sauron, the films main villain. An important place of action is said to be the lost island of Numenor, shrouded in legend.
Actors and characters
The "Lord of the Rings" series does not rely on big names in its cast, but mainly on TV actors with fantasy experience. One of the main roles is played by Robert Aramayo (28), who played the young Eddard Stark in "Game of Thrones". The Brit replaced his compatriot Will Poulter (28), who was actually intended for the part of Beldor (a new character in the LotR cosmos), who was known for films like "Son of Rambow" or "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader". most famous actor of the series would have been. Other reasonably well-known names are Cynthia Addai-Robinson (36, "Arrow") and Peter Mullan (61, "Top of the Lake").
The only character known from the films who has been announced by name for the series is Galadriel. The elf was played in the films by Cate Blanchett (52). Welsh Morfydd Clark (32) takes on the role of young Galadriel in the series.
Filming
Like the films, the series was filmed in New Zealand. However, this time the area around the capital Wellington was not the scene, but the main set was near Auckland. In Wellington, the filming of the sequels to "Avatar" was taking place at the same time. Scotland was also discussed as another location, but after Brexit these plans were off the table.
Filming for the first two seasons began in February 2020, after the first test shots in early 2019. When shooting had to be interrupted in mid-March due to the corona pandemic, the first two episodes were already in the can. In early August 2021, filming of season one was fully wrapped. SpotOnNews
