Amazon's Lord of the Rings series shut down production due to coronavirus concerns. Penned by Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings is one of the best-selling novels of all time and spawned a slew of epic film adaptations helmed by Peter Jackson. Two years ago, Amazon shook the fantasy world when it ordered a Lord of the Rings TV series with a multiseason commitment.
Set in a period long before the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the series takes place in the J.R.R. Tolkien timeline known as The Second Age. Lasting 3,441 years, marking the One Ring's conception, and ending with the defeat of Sauron's army, The Second Age of Lord of the Rings offers plentiful story arcs and fresh faces for the saga. Last year, Amazon announced its endeavor to produce 20 episodes for the first season and has already renewed Lord of the Rings for a sophomore season. Recently, the project rounded out the cast list by adding Doctor Who's Maxim Baldry to a roster that includes Markella Kavenagh as Tyra, Joseph Mawle as the main villain Oren, and Morfydd Clark as Galadriel.
Recently, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic, causing civilians around the world to take additional security precautions against the aggressive virus. Now, the highly-anticipated series is taking precaution against the COVID-19 outbreak by officially closing up shop. As reported to NZHerald, production on The Lord of the Rings TV series has been suspended for two weeks, effective March 16. Amid coronavirus concerns, over 800 cast and crew members involved in the shoot at West Auckland, New Zealand were informed, "...not to report to the set or the studio without the express permission of your supervisor."
Reportedly, Amazon's Lord of the Rings was making ample headway with filming, and a crew member revealed, "We were well into shooting. Everybody was in place, so there weren't many people coming from overseas recently." With a tally surpassing 169,000 cases worldwide, the coronavirus has caused an upheaval in travel sectors, the stock market, the healthcare system, and the entertainment industry. Amazon's The Lord of the Rings joins a hefty list of productions, events, and movie premieres being suspended.
Hailing from the writing duo of Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, Amazon's The Lord of the Rings series could be the most expensive TV series of all time. It remains to be seen how the delay will affect the show's price tag and tentative release date of 2021, but no doubt, the seasoned creative team behind Lord of the Rings will produce a series worth the wait. Changes to the entertainment industry continue in the wake of the coronavirus, and Amazon's Lord of the Rings is no exception. Hopefully, the spread of infection slows and production can resume shortly.
Source: NZHerald