The American streaming giant Amazon announced Wednesday that its big-budget series "The Lord of the Rings" was going to start filming in New Zealand, where Peter Jackson's films are staged on the epic fantasy.
Amazon would spend more than a billion US dollars for the series as it seeks to emulate the resounding success of "Games of Thrones".
The hosts, J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, said that the South Pacific nation offered the "primordial beauty" of Middle-earth, the ideal setting for J.R.R. Tolkien's stories about elves, dwarves and hobbits.
"We needed to find a majestic place, with pristine coastlines, forests and mountains, which also houses sets, studios and highly skilled and experienced craftsmen," they said in a statement.
Amazon Studios said pre-production has already begun and filming will begin in Auckland "in the coming months".
He has already spent several seasons in this series, which will explore intrigue long before the events described in Jackson's films.
Director Kiwi Rings' trilogy and the equally popular, but less critically acclaimed, three-part film The Hobbit sparked a tourism boom in New Zealand.
Millions of visitors flocked to filming locations, helping tourism to surpass dairy exports as the country's main source of revenue.
The films have also turned the New Zealand film industry from a cottage industry into a world leader, particularly in the field of digital special effects.
"It's great to see New Zealand continue to be associated with Middle-earth," said Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford.
Invest Auckland said the Amazon production would bring "tremendous economic momentum and employment opportunities".
New Zealanders have also integrated Middle-earth into the cultural identity of the country. Even five years after the release of the latest Hobbit movie, giant models of dragons and wizards adorn Wellington Airport.
Jackson has no direct involvement in the series, although last year he wished good luck to his creators and was available for consultations if needed.
Amazon has previously confirmed that the director of "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," J.A. Bayona will direct the first two episodes of the series.
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