Sauron’s eye is about to pop out of his … well, not his head, but he’s definitely wide-eyed and blinked at Amazon Prime’s truly fantastic cost Lord of the Rings TV season. According to Hollywood Reporter, the upcoming adaptation of JRR Tolkein’s beloved fantasy series by the streamer will reportedly cost about $ 465 million dollars, or about $ 650 million in New Zealand dollars, for the show’s first season alone.
“What I can tell you is that Amazon is going to spend about $ 650 million in the first season alone,” said New Zealand Minister for Economic Development and Tourism Stuart Nash. Morning report Friday. “This is fantastic, it is real … this is going to be the greatest television series ever made.” Featuring a massive cast including Robert Aramayo, Morfydd Clark and dozens of other performers, the show takes place thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit, is expected to premiere later this year. In exchange for dropping all that money, Amazon is eligible for a refund from the Screen Production Grant in New Zealand. The discount, worth approximately $ 114 million, or $ 160 million New Zealand dollars, is approximately 25%, compared to the usual 20% discount due to the size of the LOTR production.
Outlet in New Zealand Stuff first reported the government’s deal with Amazon, whereby the company will also “partner with local businesses to invest in research and development” in the country, as well as the show’s plan to potentially record five seasons and a spin-off series take. In fact, Lord of the Rings already has a second season in the making. Honestly, if this is the kind of money they have floating around Middle Earth then just make everyone their own rings, and let these poor little Hobbits go home already.