It is said that the Amazon show's steep cost is the reason why the studio has made the decision as sources claim that moving to the U.K. will help it press the budget.

• Aug 13, 2021

AceShowbiz - Amazon's "The Lord of the Rings" TV series is making an alteration for its second season. It has been reported that the mega-budget fantasy series will be moving its production from New Zealand to the United Kingdom, much to fans' surprise.

The move was surprising because fans of Peter Jackson's "LOTR" and "The Hobbit" trilogies may know that the country was famously used as the setting for its Middle Earth. It also marked a big shift considering that Amazon has invested heavily in sets and facilities in New Zealand for the show's debut season.

It was said that the show's steep cost was the reason why Amazon made the decision as sources claimed that moving to the U.K. will help it press the budget. It needs to be noted that Amazon has also heavily invested in studio space in the U.K. for its other shows including "Good Omens", "Anansi Boys", "Citadel" and "The Power and The Rig".

Among those who reacted to the major move was "The Lord of the Rings" star Elijah Wood. The Frodo depicter in the original trilogy took to his Twitter account to give the best reaction to it. Quote-retweeting the news, the actor left a facepalm emoji on the blue bird app.

Fans were also not happy with the decision. "But everyone knows Middle Earth is in New Zealand," one person noted. "Sweet Tooth" creator and executive producer Jim Mickle, meanwhile, chimed in, "Ahem, we're still here #sweettooth."

"The Lord of the Rings" will continue its season one postproduction in New Zealand through June 2022. Meanwhile, the preproduction on season two will begin concurrently in the U.K. after the first of the year.

"We want to thank the people and the government of New Zealand for their hospitality and dedication and for providing The Lord of the Rings series with an incredible place to begin this epic journey," Vernon Sanders, VP and co-head of TV, Amazon Studios, said. "We are grateful to the New Zealand Film Commission, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Tourism New Zealand, Auckland Unlimited, and others for their tremendous collaboration that supported the New Zealand film sector and the local economy during the production of season one."