London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 24, 2025

Amazon’s ‘criminal’ decision to move Lord of the Rings filming from New Zealand to UK sparks epic debate over ‘real Middle-earth’

Amazon’s ‘criminal’ decision to move Lord of the Rings filming from New Zealand to UK sparks epic debate over ‘real Middle-earth’

Amazon’s decision to shift production of its billion-dollar ‘Lord of the Rings’ series from New Zealand to the UK sparked heated debate online about the real ‘Middle-earth’ – and even Frodo Baggins actor Elijah Wood weighed in.

After Amazon founder Jeff Bezos demanded a ‘Game of Thrones’-style program to boost his company’s streaming service, the retail giant paid $250 million to secure the television rights to the franchise four years ago – and author J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate had reportedly hoped to have it filmed primarily in the UK this time around.

While Scotland was in the running, complications following Brexit reportedly led to the lucrative location contract to go to New Zealand in 2019. At the time, tourism officials in New Zealand worried about the now-real “nightmare scenario” that could see the UK potentially killing off its reputation as the “home of Middle-earth” – the fantasy world explored in Tolkien’s novels.

However, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s government has faced domestic heat over its deal with Amazon Studios, with critics accusing it of “bending over backwards” and offering multi-million dollar rebates to one of the richest corporations in the world to secure the production for the country.

Now, New Zealand’s strict Covid-19 policies, which will not see the country open up its borders until next year, were apparently a deciding factor behind the move to the UK for the second season. Under current rules, any time a member of the production leaves the country, they must quarantine for two weeks on return.

Some on social media weren’t convinced those rules were to blame, instead blasting Amazon’s profit-making ethos and Bezos for “his tactics to make as much profit through as much exploitation as possible”.

New Zealand Greens MP Chloe Swarbrick tweeted that the move was an “unexpected slight,” asking “Can we take it that ‘Jeff is [no longer] always welcome’?”


“Subsidies are not black and white, but Amazon being a terrible company is, I feel,” Swarbrick added later, saying that the move was “devastating” for the estimated 2,000 New Zealanders who are part of the production.

Meanwhile, UK Culture Minister Oliver Dowden tweeted that the move was one of a number of “most exciting productions” coming to “our shores, creating and supporting thousands of high quality jobs.”

However, the debate over which country was “synonymous” with the franchise really kicked off after actor Elijah Wood, who played protagonist Frodo Baggins in the movies, reacted to the news of the move with a facepalm emoji.


The conversation ranged from Tolkien taking inspiration from the English countryside for the works to the movie settings that modern audiences have come to associate with the franchise with one user noting that it “feels criminal” to film anywhere else but New Zealand.


“It belongs to New Zealand and nowhere else. Please for the love of hobbits don't let it get ruined,” another person tweeted.

Others were less worried about the series being affected by the change of setting than through Amazon’s involvement – with one commenter saying that the company could manage to ruin it “in either location.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
×