The first season of Amazon’s highly anticipated Lord of the Rings show will cost around $465 million to produce. The news comes via The Hollywood Reporter, which states it has confirmed the incredible cost of Season 1.
The series is currently shooting in New Zealand. The cost of the season was initially revealed by Stuart Nash, the country’s Minister for Economic Development and Tourism, who said that “Amazon is going to spend about $650 million in Season 1 alone,” referring to the cost in New Zealand dollars. While Amazon has not commented on this, THR has confirmed the figure as correct.
This is considerably higher than the $500 million that was initially reported as the cost for the first two seasons, and will make it it the most expensive show ever made. However, Amazon will be gaining a considerable tax rebate of US $114 million. This means the New Zealand government will, in effect, be subsidizing the show’s production, but the employment and potential tourism it w…