Wellington (AFP)

US giant Amazon announced on Friday that the filming of its big-budget series "The Lord of the Rings" will be relocated from New Zealand to Great Britain, a blow to the economy of that country.

The country was looking forward to hosting the filming of several seasons of the series, hoping it would help make New Zealand one of the world leaders in the film industry, especially in digital special effects.

For its part, the tourism sector was banking on this series to relaunch activity once the page of the coronavirus has definitively turned.

The famous film trilogy of the New Zealand director, shot entirely in the archipelago, had sparked a real tourist boom in the country.

Before the pandemic, each year, millions of tourists went there to discover the splendid landscapes of "Middle Earth", imaginary theater of the "Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings", inspired by the work of Tolkien.

But as filming for the first season has just wrapped up and the premiere is slated for September 2022, Amazon has announced that filming for the next season will be set in Britain.

“We want to thank the people and the government of New Zealand ... for giving Lord of the Rings + an amazing place to start this epic journey,” said Vernon Sanders, vice president of Amazon Studios.

The New Zealand Minister of Economic Development, Stuart Nash, who had offered Amazon substantial aid to stay, said he was "disappointed" while stressing that the film industry is "incredibly competitive and very mobile".

Amazon spent 660 million New Zealand dollars (358 million euros) in New Zealand to shoot a series capable of matching the success of HBO's "Games of Thrones", recalled The Minister.

The government was to reimburse 25% of this budget, but this percentage will be reduced to 20% due to the relocation of the filming.

Amazon said the move is part of its expansion strategy in Great Britain, where many of its productions are already shot.

The series, which does not yet have a name, chronicles intrigues that take place in the fantastic realm of the universe created in the 1930s by British writer JRR Tolkien, at a time well before that depicted in the trilogy. by Peter Jackson.

New Zealanders now see Middle-earth as part of their culture.

"This is a huge missed opportunity for New Zealand," said opposition spokesman Todd McClay.

© 2021 AFP