Was 'The Rings Of Power' Shot In New Zealand Like 'The Lord of the Rings'?
Amazon Prime's blockbuster series will finally premiere this fall, and millions of fans have one important question – where was it filmed?
Peter Jackson's crew back in the day chose the perfect location for filming now-iconic fantasy epic: lush green fields and rocky ocean cliffs of New Zealand served as a wonderful backdrop for the story of Middle-earth. And, to no one's surprise, Amazon's creative team decided to stick to the location, choosing this island country as the main filming location for the first season of 'The Rings of Power '. Considering that $460 million was spent on the first season alone, with over 1,000 New Zealanders working on production, the upcoming series' not only guaranteed to look amazing, but has already proven to be incredibly beneficial to the country's economy.
Despite New Zealand's seemingly small size, its many islands are quite varied in terms of landscapes, so all of Middle-earth could be filmed on location, without excessive usage of green screen. Fans will undoubtedly be delighted by the huge variety of New Zealand sights featured in the series, perhaps once again boosting New Zealand's tourism industry as Jackson did in the early 2000s.
List of All 'The Rings of Power' Shooting Locations
Hauraki Gulf
The secluded bay, located at the northern tip of New Zealand, is famous for its beautiful beaches, and was used by Amazon for filming all sailing scenes and even possible sea battle sequences.
Denize Bluffs
This pastoral landscape, used by Jackson for the filming of the 'Hobbit' trilogy, was utilized in 'The Rings of Power' to film some scenes involving hairy-legged hobbits. The green meadows, surrounded by steep cliffs, are perfect for creating the idyllic atmosphere of the cozy Shire.
Fiordland
The mystical body of water, surrounded by monumental green mountains, looks like the perfect place for elves to live, so Amazon's decision to shoot some scenes in this majestic landscape certainly makes sense. And the snowy peak of Mount Kidd lurks on the horizon like the lair of an ancient dragon.
Bray Studios, London
After completing the New Zealand portion of filming, the crew and actors headed back to Europe, planning to continue filming in the pavilions of the legendary Bray Studios, known for its many horror film productions. Along with RAF Bovington Airfield, Bray was used as the location where all the green screen scenes were filmed.
Season 2 is expecting to begin filming in London, so it looks like future installments of the Tolkien saga will move away from open spaces toward more chamber or CGI locations. But given that the series is rumored to run for 5 seasons, who knows, maybe Amazon will bring the cast and crew back to the far greenery of this mysterious land.
'The Rings of Power' will arrive on Amazon Prime on September 2, 2022.