Why Lord of the Rings Left New Zealand

Peter Jackson's country has been Middle-earth for a quarter of a century. But for season 2, the series The Rings of Power has moved to the United Kingdom. So what does that change?

It is a highly symbolic move. The Lord of the Ringsa cinematic emblem inseparable from the majestic landscapes of New Zealand, is changing scenery. The production of the series The Rings of Power left the land of Peter Jackson – where everything was filmed until now – to set up its cameras in the United Kingdom, for obvious logistical reasons.

So, logical choice or artistic uprooting?It doesn't change much.“, immediately decides Morfydd Clark (Galadriel) for Première. The Welsh actress spent long months in Oceania, to film season 1 between 2021 and 2022, far from home, like the other members of a very largely British cast.This time, we are no longer living in a vacuum” continues the young actress. “In New Zealand, we didn't know anyone. Only the people we worked with on set. So we were a troupe, in front of and behind the camera. Now, since we all live more or less in England, we can go home on weekends and get back to a normal life after work…”

The repatriation of production to the United Kingdom is obviously an economic decision intended to reduce the very high cost of the series for Amazon. Especially since Her Majesty's country offers a 25% tax reduction thanks to a government tax relief program. And that in concrete terms, the New Zealand landscapes had become superfluous: “A huge part of the material scenery that was in New Zealand was transported to England“, the director tells us, Charlotte Brandstrom. “And then since we filmed a lot in the forest at night… let's be honest: there's nothing that looks more like a wood than another wood! And I would even say that the trees are more beautiful in England, since we were lucky enough to film a good part of season 2 in Windsor Great Park, west of London, which includes extraordinary thousand-year-old oaks. We used nature a lot and we're even using fewer special effects this year…”

That being said, the filmmaker admits to having had “a little pang in her heart” when it came to leaving New Zealand behind. Like Morfydd Clark, who thanks “the New Zealand teams, who have been the guardians of this world, since they made Peter Jackson's trilogy films. They welcomed us with open arms and taught us a lot.” And then Charlotte Brändström also misses the local quality of life: “It was a country on a more human scale! Everything was simpler logistically from Auckland. I didn't spend 2 hours in the morning in traffic to get to the set…”

Season 2 of Rings of Power continues Thursday on Prime Video.