The first season of Amazon Studios’ forthcoming The Lord of the Rings show is going to cost roughly NZ$650 million ($465 million in US dollars), making it one of the most expensive programmes ever produced, according to sources.
The documents also show the studio’s plan to film five Lord of the Rings seasons in New Zealand, plus an as-yet-unannounced spinoff series.
“What I can tell you is Amazon is going to spend about $650 million in season one alone,” Stuart Nash, New Zealand Minister for Economic Development and Tourism, told Morning Report.
The numbers were revealed as part of the New Zealand government’s Official Information Act and was originally reported by the New Zealand publication Stuff.