LOTR prequels to be shot in NZ

The Herald reports:

A “huge” part of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series – set to be the most expensive TV show ever at $1.5 billion plus – will be produced in New Zealand, film industry insiders have confirmed to the Herald on Sunday.
A senior member of the Auckland film industry said Kumeu Film Studios (KFS) and Auckland Film Studios (AFS) have been working on pre-production on the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) for more than a year now, preparing and building studio locations. American crews were already in Auckland.

That’s great and exciting news. The first series is expected in 2021. They have not confirmed what it will cover, but speculation is stories from the second age, including potentially the forging of the rings of power.

Other story lines may be the rise and fall of Numenor and the founding of Mordor.

It may even extend to the rise of Sauron and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.