The new series from Amazon Studios, based on the novels by JRR Tolkien, is an ambitious and expensive project. Acting, synopsis, photography: that’s all we know for now.

It’s official: the series is based on Lord of the rings It will be released at the end of next year. On Monday, Amazon Studios announced the completion of filming for the first season, and that the broadcast of the ten episodes will begin on September 3, 2022, at a rate of one episode per week.

The series, which has five seasons planned, was developed by JD Payne and Patrick McKay. JA Bayona Director (jurassic world 2And the orphanageHe tried the first two episodes of the show. Here’s everything we know now about this ambitious project.

New adventures

The series will take place much earlier than described in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy: the events will take place during the Second Age, around the time Sauron ascends to power and forms the One Episode.

“This epic drama takes place thousands of years ago the hobbit and the triple the Lord of the RingsAmazon Studios said in a statement. Just a thread and where the greatest villain of all comes out of Tolkien’s pen threatens to swallow the world in its darkness.”

The series will begin in a time of “relative peace,” and will follow a group of famous and never-before-seen characters “as they face the fearsome return of evil to Middle-earth.” The plot will take place in the four corners of the fantasy world of Tolkien, and in particular on the island of Nimenor, mentioned in the Lord of the Rings.

Photo session in New Zealand

Like the Peter Jackson movie saga, the series was filmed in New Zealand. For screenwriters J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, New Zealand presents the “beauty” of Middle-earth, the universe created by the British writer in the 1930s. JRR Tolkien.

“We needed a majestic place, with coastlines, forests and wild mountains that could also accommodate highly skilled and experienced groups, studios and craftsmen,” they said in a statement.

The first pictures of the filming locations were also revealed.

Part of the cast has been revealed

Names of characters from the Tolkien saga that will appear, except for the imp, Galadriel, who will be played by young actress Morvid Clarke (Its dark matter). The cast includes Cynthia Aday Robinson (Spartacus)Nazanin Bunyadi (How did you meet your mother), Maxim Baldry (years and years), and Robert Aramao, who played the title role Game of thrones. Another representative of Game of thrones Also Recruited: Joseph Maul, known in turn as Benjen Stark.

Markella Cavina, Owen Arthur, and Ishmael Cruz Cordova have also been announced (The Mandalorian), Charles Edwards, Tristan Gravel, Sir Lenny Henry, Emma Horvath, Teru Mohaveden, Sophia Numvit, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Wyman, and Sarah Zwangobani.

Strict measures to avoid spoilers

The circumstances under which the script was written deserve the most top-secret projects, revealed in February 2019 by the director of Amazon Studios, Jennifer Salk.

“We have a great closed room for writers. They have already produced some very exciting content,” she said The Hollywood Reporter. “You have to go through an entire security system to get to it, and all the windows are covered with duct tape. There’s also a security guard sitting in the front, and you have to show your fingerprint to get in.”

This new project is considered the most expensive series ever. According to the information received from The Hollywood ReporterAmazon acquired the television rights to Tolkien’s cult work in 2017 for an estimated $250 million (€210 million).

Then, the American giant released, Nothing for the first season, a massive budget of 465 million dollars (just over 391 million euros). These numbers are exceptional for a series: for comparison, Game of thrones It cost $100 million per season. The first episodes were produced for six million each, before increasing to 15 million each in season eight.