The much anticipated fantasy series will cost much more than previous records: “This is the greatest television series ever made.”
Amazon Studios se The Lord of the Rings television show is going to cost all the gold in the Lonely Mountain.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Amazon will spend approximately NZ $ 650 million – $ 465 million in US dollars – for just the first season of the show.
This is far above the estimated estimates that linked the fantasy drama to an already record $ 500 million plural seasons of the show.
“What I can tell you is that Amazon is going to spend about $ 650 million in the first season,” said Stuart Nash, New Zealand’s Minister for Economic Development and Tourism. Morning report. “It’s fantastic, it’s really … it’s going to be the greatest television series ever made.”
The figures were released as part of the New Zealand Government’s official law on information and were initially reported by the New Zealand office. Things. The documents also confirmed that the studio plans to film five seasons in New Zealand – as good as possible, as yet unannounced series.
For comparison, HBOs Game of Thrones costs about $ 100 million per season to produce, with the cost per episode ranging from about $ 6 million for the first season and eventually in the eighth season to about $ 15 million per episode.
It is worth noting that the budget for the following seasons of LOTR can be much less than the season one number. There are significant start-up costs for building a new fantasy world – such as sets, costumes and props – which are likely to be used throughout the series.
Amazon spending will result in a tax cut of NZ $ 160 million (US $ 114 million). This is somewhat controversial in New Zealand, as the government could end up with hundreds of millions of dollars to subsidize Amazon’s eleven-and-hobbits drama series. Stuff reported that the country’s treasury described the show as a ‘significant fiscal risk’, as there is no upside to how much Amazon – and therefore the government – can spend. But others point out that the increase in local spending through production plus potential tourism is increasing Lord of the Rings supporters outweigh the refinances financed by taxpayers.
Amazon acquired the rights to JRR Tolkien’s beloved Middle Earth franchise in 2017, and it was predicted early on that the show would eventually become the first $ 1 billion TV show in the world after the rights deal, production and marketing for several seasons was taken into account. .
The official description: The Lord of the Rings “brings the heroic legends of the legendary Second Century of Middle-earth history to the screens for the first time. This epic drama takes place thousands of years before the events of JRR Tolkien The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and perished, improbable heroes were put to the test, hopes hung on the best wires, and the greatest villain who ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen, threatened to cover the whole world in darkness. The series begins in a time of relative peace and follows an ensemble of characters, both familiar and new, as they encounter the protracted appearance of evil in Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the eleven-capital Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the farthest corners of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that long after they are gone. ‘
The major cast of the program features Robert Aramayo (Game of Thrones), Owain Arthur (Kingdom), Nazanin Boniadi (Eweknie), Tom Budge (Pacific ocean), Ismael Cruz Cordova (The catch), Ismael Cruz Cordova (Ray Donovan), Joseph Mawle (Game of Thrones) and many others. JD Payne and Patrick McKay (Star Trek 4) serve as forerunners in the series.
The series is currently in production for a planned debut later this year. Amazon Studios declined to comment.