In welcome news for those in world of film and television, The Lord of the Rings TV show and the Cowboy Bebop Netflix series has been granted permission to start filming again in New Zealand.
Stuff reports that a handful of productions have been given the go-ahead to resume production in the wake of global lockdowns, delays, and industry shutdowns amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Those part of the cast and crew of the Lord of the Rings TV show and the Cowboy Bebop Netflix series (among others) “will arrive into the country across the next six months,” according to Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment manager Sian Roguski. “This is subject to production timing and managed quarantine availability.”
Filming had already begun on The Lord of the Rings series, with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom director J. A. Bayona helming the first two episodes. A return to Middle-Earth has already been confirmed, with Amazon commissioning a second season, in much the same way The Boys season 2 was announced before the first season even aired.
Meanwhile, 10 more crew members from the Avatar sequels are also heading to the country, bringing the total up to 41 currently working on the production of Avatars 2-5, with the first sequel due for release in December 17, 2021.
With signs that film and television industries are starting to re-emerge from their forced hibernations – including Jurassic World: Dominion potentially restarting filming in the UK this month, The Witcher season 2 starting back up in August, and now Mission: Impossible 7 and The Batman slowly getting moving again – it appears that the potential dearth of new releases will only be temporary.
If that’s the case, let’s hope we can set eyes on The One Binge to Rule Them All sooner rather than later.
