Although it is still really early for any definitive news about Amazon’s ‘Lord Of the Rings’ prequel TV series, Omega Underground claims to have a production update which should make fans of the ‘Lord Of The Rings’ and ‘Hobbit’ trilogies very excited! Apparently, Amazon is looking to return to New Zealand to shoot the new series.
New Zealand, of course, has become world-famous for the locales Peter Jackson used for Middle Earth in both of his Tolkien trilogies and the beautiful landscapes have become synonymous with the franchise over the years. Not to mention, New Zealand is also home to the Weta Workshop, the Academy Award winning Special effects house that got its start under Peter Jackson and really showed what it could do while making EVERYTHING for ‘The Lord Of the Rings’ franchise, though, admittedly, shooting in New Zealand does not necessary mean Amazon intends to use Weta. It would be odd though to go to all this trouble to recreate the world Peter Jackson created and not use every tool at their disposal, including the original team that created the costumes, props and special effects.
Of course, for those hoping Amazon would in some way provide a fresh and new look at Middle Earth this is looking less and less likely, especially if they end up using the same locations in New Zealand as Peter Jackson did for his films, which seems to be the point. True, the series will at least be written by different people (JD Payne and Patrick McKay of ‘Jungle Cruise,’ Star Trek: Beyond,’ and ‘Star Trek 4’), but I am really worried this series is just going to feel like more of the same, which was part of the problem with the ‘Hobbit’ trilogy: it dragged on for far too long and had few surprises because we had already seen all of Peter Jackon’s tricks and style in the previous films, not to mention already seen most of these characters and many of the locations before. But maybe that is just me worrying too much. After all, few characters/ actors will be returning for the series, clearly Peter Jackson is not directing, and this will be a television series which by nature will feel and look different.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Feel free to express your opinions in the comments below!
