It wouldn’t be a true Lord of the Rings production if it wasn’t shot in the sweeping New Zealand mountains.

That’s why Amazon has opted to call Aukland the home of Middle-earth for its upcoming series to be shown on Amazon Prime.

“As we searched for the location in which we could bring to life the primordial beauty of the Second Age of Middle-earth, we knew we needed to find somewhere majestic, with pristine coasts, forests, and mountains, that also is a home to world-class sets, studios, and highly skilled and experienced craftspeople and other staff,” said showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay.

“And we’re happy that we are now able to officially confirm New Zealand as our home for our series based on stories from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings,”

“We are grateful to the people and the government of New Zealand and especially Auckland for supporting us during this pre-production phase.

“The abundant measure of Kiwi hospitality with which they have welcomed us has already made us feel right at home, and we are looking forward to deepening our partnership in the years to come.”

The television series will explore the storylines preceding The Fellowship of the Ring novel and comes from the executive producers that produced the likes of Games of Thrones and Stranger Things.

Pre-production for the series has started and production will take place in the coming months.