Amazon's Lord Of The Rings TV Show Reportedly Finishes Filming

Amazon's big-budget Lord of the Rings TV series has apparently finished filming in New Zealand. According to a December 22 Instagram post by director JA Bayona, he has taken his "last photo in New Zealand… and I can't wait to be back." The director has consistently taken to the photo-sharing platform to provide updates on how the production has been faring with various milestones.

Despite New Zealand being pretty much the only place on this planet that was largely unaffected by COVID-19, it still caused a few delays for the production. The country had extremely strict rules on who can enter the country, and in July, the country's government granted "border exemptions" for certain international film and TV productions. As of late 2019, the show had reportedly completed shooting the first two episodes. Given that even before airing, it was announced that the series will be getting two seasons, it is highly likely Bayona will be back in New Zealand sooner rather than later.

As for the show's content itself, it will be set in the Second Age, which is a 3,441-year period that covered major events like the forging of the Rings of Power, including the One Ring; the War of Sauron, the beginning of the Ringwraiths, and when Numenor the island sank into the ocean. Also, it was during the Second Age that the Elven city of Rivendell was developed and the great battle where men, elves, and dwarves fought together for the first time against Sauron.

Speaking of ancient history, it's hard to believe it's been almost 20 years since director Peter Jackson and his team brought Tolkein's fantasy epic to the big screen--a task previously thought of as being unfilmable. No firm release date has been set for Bayona's version, but here's hoping we won't have to wait another 20 years. In the meantime, here's everything we know about the fantasy series to help tide you over.