The Lord of the Rings TV show set to restart filming in New Zealand

(Image credit: Warner Bros)

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.”

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.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.