Wellington (AFP)
The US giant Amazon Prime Video announced Wednesday that his big budget series "The Lord of the Rings" would be shot in the coming months in New Zealand, homeland of Peter Jackson, the director of the fantastic saga.
Amazon would spend more than a billion dollars (0.90 million euros) on this series, hoping to experience the same success as the series "Games of Thrones" (the throne of iron) of the HBO channel.
For screenwriters JD Payne and Patrick McKay, New Zealand offers the "beauty" of Middle-earth, the universe created in the 1930s by the British writer JRR Tolkien.
"We needed a majestic place, with coasts, forests and wild mountains that could also accommodate sets, studios and highly skilled and experienced craftsmen," they said in a statement.
Amazon studios said the pre-production phase had already begun and filming would begin in Auckland "in the coming months".
The American giant has already committed to several seasons of this series which will take place at a time well before that described in the trilogy of Peter Jackson.
The saga of the New Zealand director, which has met a worldwide success, has created a real tourist boom in the country.
Every year, millions of tourists come here to discover the splendid landscapes of "Middle-earth", imaginary theater of the "Hobbit" and "Lord of the rings", inspired by Tolkien's work.
These films have helped to make New Zealand one of the world leaders in the film industry, especially in digital special effects.
"It's great to see New Zealand and Middle-earth continue to work together," said New Zealand Minister of Economy Phil Twyford.
According to Invest Auckland, an economic development agency, this production will generate "a huge economic boom and create jobs".
New Zealanders now see Middle-earth as part of their culture.
© 2019 AFP