'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Was Filmed in These Fantasy-Like Locations

Created by Patrick McKay and John D. Payne, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power takes place 5000 years before the events depicted in the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. Premiering on Amazon Prime on Sept. 2, 2022, the eight-episode series features Morfydd Clark, Nazanin Boniadi, and Peter Mullan in the lead roles. Where was The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power filmed? Here's what you should know about the filming locations.

On Aug. 16, 2022, Amazon Prime confirmed that The Rings of Power would hit the small screen in the first week of September. The Netflix competitor made a splash in the second half of 2017 by pouring an estimated $1 million into the TV show. According to the Guardian, Amazon paid $250 million for the rights, while also investing $715 million into the shooting of the series. This makes The Rings of Power the most expensive TV series out there.

Part of the filming took place at the Hauraki Gulf or Tīkapa Moana in New Zealand. A coastal feature with a rich history, the Hauraki Gulf boasts sandy beaches perfect for surfing and skimming. Other filming locations include Piha, a coastal settlement in West Auckland. Piha boasts sights like the Mercer Bay Loop Walk and the Kitekite Falls.

Season 1 of The Rings of Power also features idyllic locations like the Coromandel Peninsula in Kaimarama in the background. Some of the filming took place at the Kumeu Film Studios and the Auckland Film Studios. The former is located in Kumeu, New Zealand, while the latter is in Auckland.

For Season 2 of The Rings of Power, the creators opted for a change of scenery, choosing the U.K. as the main filming location. According to Variety, the filming locations include the Bovingdon Airfield in Hertfordshire and the Bray Film Studios in Water Oakley, Windsor.

"I think [the move to the U.K.] speaks to the depth of talent here, the reputation, the skills, the infrastructure," Dan Grabiner, the head of originals at Amazon Studios U.K., told Variety. "It is a large production. To make an operation like that work, you need world-class people and world-class talents working on it."

The The Rings of Power premiere was held on Aug. 30, 2022, at London's Leicester Square. Robert Aramayo, who plays Elrond, Maxim Baldry, who plays Isildur, other series regulars, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, and others were in attendance.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power drops on Amazon Prime on Sept. 2, 2022.