New Zealand Loses Its Precious ‘Lord of the Rings’ Series to the UK

New Zealand Loses Its Precious ‘Lord of the Rings’ Series to the UK
A Bonhams employee holds 'Anduril' a prop sword belonging to Aragorn, hero of 'The Lord of the Rings' movie trilogy in London, England, on July 31, 2014. Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
The Associated Press
Updated:

WELLINGTON, New Zealand—New Zealand has long been associated with “The Lord of the Rings” but with the filming of a major new television series suddenly snatched away, the nation has become more like Mordor than the Shire for hundreds of workers.

In a major blow to the nation’s small but vibrant screen industry, Amazon Studios announced Friday it would film the second season of its original series, inspired by the books of J.R.R. Tolkien, to the U.K.