With August being the supposed filming start date for Amazon’s much anticipated Lord of the Rings TV show, there has been a surprising lack of activity or news from them, leaving some to suggest they may not be running on schedule.
However, information has recently been reported that a new filming studio located just outside of Edinburgh, in Leith, Scotland, has secured Amazon as one of its first clients. There’s only one catch – the studio has not even finished being constructed. With only four months to go until August hits, time is running out for the studio to be completed.
According to local sources, filming of the show at the new studio will run an estimated three months, shooting from August to November. Should all go well, they will return to film another three months in 2020, running from March through May.
Let’s not forget that Amazon has yet to announce any cast members for their 1 billion dollar show, nor have we been privy to any concept art in regards to the visual design they will be going for. Perhaps Amazon’s aim is to keep any criticism from die-hard fans at bay until they are able to present their version of Middle-earth when fully complete.
Peter Jackson ran into those very issues during the filming of The Hobbit Trilogy. Unlike the Lord of the Rings films, which were not as well-known or publicized back when they were filmed, Jackson’s Hobbit films suffered heavy disapproval from fans due to character designs, deviations from the books, and over all plot development before they even made it into theaters.
While I can count myself among those feeling more than a little apprehensive about Amazon’s take of Tolkien’s writing, I hold out hope that someone high up in the chain of Amazon command is also a fan and will fight to keep the show from becoming a Game-of-Thrones want-to-be, while introducing us to a fresh, book-accurate perspective of our beloved Middle-earth.
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