WELLINGTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford welcomed Amazon Studios announcing that New Zealand will be the production location for its new series based on the Lord of the Rings.
Phil Twyford said on Wednesday that New Zealand's selection as the production base ahead of other countries demonstrates how far the country has come as a player in the highly competitive global screen industry.
"This is a sought after production and fantastic news for New Zealand's screen sector and our economy," Phil Twyford said, "this will be an ambitious production and having it based here will create a range of benefits, including jobs and significant overseas investment, which will unlock more opportunities to grow our creative and technology sectors."
"The new Lord of the Rings series, along with other significant screen projects underway or in development, provides New Zealand with a global stage to demonstrate our skills, innovation and outstanding natural beauty. We can be proud of New Zealand's talent in the screen sector and what this industry delivers to our economy."
Amazon Studios announced Wednesday that its series based on J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic fantasy novels The Lord of the Rings will shoot in New Zealand. Pre-production has started, and production on the series will begin in Auckland in the coming months.
"This is a great place to make films and TV, and Amazon's new series is another chance to demonstrate our skills and capacity to the industry worldwide," Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said.
"This production will support Auckland's world-class screen businesses to grow, create jobs and provide an immense boost to our regional and national economy. We already have a billion-dollar screen industry and being the main production base for Amazon's new TV series will take it to a new level," Goff said.
