Amazons LOTR Season 2 Plans Could Mess With The Franchises Magic

Amazon’s LOTR Season 2 Plans Could Mess With The Franchise’s Magic

Amazon is moving Lord of the Rings to the U.K. for season 2 – and in doing so, they risk damaging the magic of the entire fantasy franchise.

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Amazons LOTR Season 2 Plans Could Mess With The Franchises Magic

Amazon is moving its Lord of the Rings show production out of New Zealand to the U.K. for season 2 – and that risks seriously damaging the franchise. Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series promises to be a spiritual successor to the beloved Peter Jackson films. That was signified by the streaming giant’s decision to film in New Zealand, recognizing the country as a core part of the franchise. But, in a surprising twist, it seems that will only be a temporary state of affairs; production is moving to the U.K. for Lord of the Rings season 2.

Amazon’s decision is a severe blow to New Zealand’s film and tourism industries, because the country has profited greatly from its association with Lord of the Rings, and it’s also a tremendous coup for the U.K. Although the Tolkien estate has reportedly been pushing for the move for some time, in truth it’s been made because of business reasons; the U.K. offers attractive rebates for productions like Lord of the Rings, while the rebates offered by the New Zealand government have become politically controversial of late. There are also reports New Zealand’s coronavirus policies have played a part in Amazon’s decision, because anytime a member of cast or crew left the country they need to quarantine for 14 days upon their return, disrupting filming. But, while Amazon’s logic makes perfect sense from a business viewpoint, it’s also a serious mistake.

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J.R.R. Tolkien may have been inspired to create Middle-earth by the English landscape, but Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy made it synonymous with New Zealand. He had focused as much upon the scenery as he did any character in his films, taking great care to evoke a strong sense of place; Jackson was so concerned about authenticity that he even used footage from a New Zealand volcanic eruption when the Ring was destroyed in Mount Doom. The New Zealand landscape is, therefore, a character in its own rights in the Lord of the Rings films; and season 1 of Amazon’s TV series will bring that back by using the familiar settings.

Location is not just an afterthought in film and TV production – especially with a show like Lord of the Rings, where sense of place is so important. The decision to move from New Zealand to the U.K. risks creating a sharp discontinuity between Amazon’s Lord of the Rings seasons 1 and 2, because the first season will inspire nostalgic memories of Jackson’s films while the second will not. It is true that the U.K. has many beautiful areas – ranging from the Pennines to the Lake District, from the Yorkshire Dales to the mountains of Snowdon – but they are far from interchangeable with the likes of the Fjordland National Park.

The decision has been made, and Amazon is moving to the U.K. Amazon’s reasons are completely understandable, but from a creative viewpoint they are flawed, and risk sabotaging what could be one of their biggest fantasy revivals. Hopefully this won’t damage the magic of Lord of the Rings too much.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/lord-rings-season-2-uk-new-zealand-change-bad/

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