Amazon is betting big on its Lord of the Rings series. Like, really big: According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show’s first season will cost $465 million. (For those keeping track, Game of Thrones cost HBO roughly $100 million per season.) The initial estimate for production costs, as reported by Reuters in 2018, placed the price tag at $500 million for two seasons—although as THR points out, it’s worth noting that subsequent seasons will likely be significantly cheaper, given that costs for the first season will include sets and costumes to be reused throughout the production.
As THR notes, the new figure was first reported by the New Zealand news outlet Stuff, after the figures were released under the government’s Official Information Act. The film has apparently become the subject of controversy, as Amazon’s massive spending will put the government on the hook for a $114 million tax rebate. Amazon, meanwhile, better hope this really is one streaming show to rule them all.
Read it at The Hollywood Reporter
