Where was The Rings of Power filmed?
Amazon's latest big-budget fantasy series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power had a lot to live up to when it came to the series’ setting. Peter Jackson's two trilogies left a lasting visual legacy, meaning Amazon's version of Middle-earth had to live up to stunning settings like the picturesque village of Hobbiton to the Misty Mountains and the foreboding Mordor.
As we have now seen, the new Prime Video saga does not disappoint, as it brings even more locations from all the far corners of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world to life in vivid detail, including the dwarven city of Khazad-dûm (before the Balrog destroyed it and it became known as Moria) and the Elvish city of Eregion.
Here's where the new fantasy series was shot...
Where was The Rings of Power filmed?
Like its predecessors— The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies— The Rings of Power was filmed entirely in New Zealand. Filming took place throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and ran from February 2020 to August 2021 owing to multiple delays.
National World reports that a lot of internal filming took place at Kumeu Film Studios and Auckland Film Studios during production; Peter Jackson’s films were shot in facilities in Wellington, but they were being used to shoot Avatar: The Way of Water at the time.
External shots, meanwhile, were filmed on location throughout New Zealand. Some of the filming spots include popular tourist destinations like Hauraki Gulf and Tīkapa Moana, along with the beaches and forest areas of the Coromandel Peninsula plus Fiordland National Park, which is the largest of New Zealand's 13 national parks.
GoodToKnow has broken down even more of the specific places that you might spot cropping up in the new show, and a few of them are likely to be familiar to fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
Where is The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 being filmed?
Although we’ve still got the bulk of season 1 to look forward to, Amazon are already ready to get underway on the second season. In an interview with RadioTimes.com (from Friday, September 2), Rings of Power showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay said that they are “a couple of weeks away from starting production”.
Season 2 will likely look a little bit different from the first series, as we know that it will be breaking with tradition and filming in the UK, rather than in New Zealand.
Variety reports that the first filming locations for the second season will include Bray Film Studios and Bovingdon Airfield will be the first production facilities used. This means the Lord of the Rings series shares a surprising connection with Dancing on Ice, as Bovingdon Airfield is home to a purpose-built ice rink that is used for the popular ITV show.
More LOTR: The Rings of Power
- Meet the Rings of Power cast
- Who is The Dweller in LOTR: Rings of Power? Could The Dweller be Sauron?
- Who is Adar in LOTR: The Rings of Power? Is Adar Sauron? We weigh the evidence
- Who is the Meteor Man?
- The Rings of Power episode 1 review: an intoxicating return to Middle-earth
- LOTR's Sophia Nomvete says the first female dwarf is a 'magical moment' for Tolkien fans
- Morfydd Clark — things you didn’t know about the actress playing Galadriel in The Rings of Power
- The best fantasy TV shows
