Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV show reportedly has a gigantic budget, and now one of the actors has shared his thoughts on this and more, including why the secrecy around the project is actually a good thing. Benjamin Walker, who plays an unspecified role on the show, told Collider that a major investment is necessary for a production of this size and scale.
“There is a lot of talk about the money, but I kind of feel like that’s what you need to do it right,” he said. “It’s like if you found someone you’re in love with you and want to buy them a ring, you gotta do the best you can to show that you’re committed to it, and it’s not unlike that. This is not a legendarium that you want to skimp on.”
Amazon is reportedly spending $465 million on the Lord of the Rings show’s first season alone, though one of its former producers says that is fake news. Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke didn’t confirm the number specifically, but she pointed out that Amazon’s investment covers a “full season of a huge world-building show,” which incurs a major cost.
Salke said the $465 million budget for The Lord of the Rings Season 1 makes for a good headline for people to latch onto, but she reminded people that this money is being spent to “sustain the whole series.”
“The number is a sexy headline or a crazy headline that’s fun to click on, but that is really building the infrastructure of what will sustain the whole series,” she said.
Amazon is said to have paid $250 million just for the rights to make The Lord of the Rings TV show, and Jeff Bezos–a fan of high fantasy–was reportedly directly involved in the negotiations. The show is currently filming in New Zealand, and the local government is giving Amazon a rebate of more than $100 million to film there.
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth, but we don’t know anything about the plot or characters. Walker said he understands people want to know more about it, and in his own career, he’s found it annoying to be told to keep secrets. But in the case of The Lord of the Rings, the secrecy is justified, he said.
“It’s usually annoying when they tell you not to talk about it. On this one I kind of agree with them. Because there’s so much attention and because so much happens, it’s important that we do protect it. So I really can’t say a lot, other than you will be glad you knew so little when you see it,” he said.
Outside of Amazon’s show, Warner Bros. has announced a new Lord of the Rings animated movie that is being fast-tracked for theaters.
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