Amazon will get an additional 5% from more New Zealand’s Screen Production Grant, Reuters reports today.
(Reuters) New Zealand said on Friday it has agreed to give Amazon (AMZN.O) extra rebates on its expenses for the filming of “The Lord of the Rings” TV series in the country, hoping to reap multi-year economic and tourism benefits.
Amazon will get an extra 5% from New Zealand’s Screen Production Grant in addition to the 20% grant the production already qualifies for, the government said in a statement.
Amazon is estimated to be spending about NZ$650 million ($465 million) filming the first season of the show, for broadcast on its Amazon Prime streaming platform, meaning it would be eligible for a rebate of about NZ$162 million ($116 million), the government said.
“The agreement with Amazon … generates local jobs and creates work for local businesses,” Economic and Regional Development Minister Stuart Nash said in a statement. “It will enable a new wave of international tourism branding and promotion for this country.”
The first season entered production in Auckland last year with more than 1,200 people employed. Approximately 700 workers are indirectly employed by providing services to the production, the government said.
U.S.-based Amazon media officials weren’t immediately available for comment outside regular U.S. business hours.
Awesome 1:6 figures are not the only thing coming from our friends at Asmus Toys! They are also making these very cool 4″ tall figures called Q-Bitz – and they just happen to come in your favorite license,The Lord of the Rings. As of right now you can get these 4″ tall figures, with 2-4 points of articulation, covering the following characters: Aragorn, Gimli, Arwen, Lurtz, and a Ringwraith. Our friends at Sideshow Collectibles have the whole set grouped together for $100, with them shipping in Q4 of this year. These look to be fun and quirky figures that add a nice little touch to any collection.
Our friends at Asmus Toys just keep turning out some of the best 1:6 figures you’ve seen, of the many beloved characters from Middle-earth. We want to make you aware that there are two more figures out now that folks can order. Fans can buy the incredible-looking Elven Warrior and Elven Archer figures, and start recreating The Battle of the Last Alliance. These very detailed figures can be ordered right now, and ship from our friends at Sideshow Collectibles in the next couple of months, for $190.
Here’s what the folks from Asmus Toys have to say about these awesome figures:
“ One by one, free lands in Middle-earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of Men and Elves marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the slopes of Mount Doom they fought for the freedom of Middle-earth.
Asmus Toys are proud to introduce the latest releases from their The Lord of the Rings 1/6th scale collectible line: Elven Warrior & Elven Archer!
From the Battle of Dagorlad, where they stood along side Elrond and Gil-galad as the forces of Sauron drew ever closer. These elite High Elven soldiers instantly wowed audiences in the First Age prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring.
The team at Asmus Toys have shown their commitment to delve deep into the world of The Lord of the Rings by giving collectors a chance to own some of the lesser known heroes of the story. This pairing perfectly accompanies the existing Elrond release and allows for so many more display options for those who desire an expanse of both main and background characters.
Both products come with brand new, beautifully crafted gold armored attire! Standing at approximately 30cm tall, with over 34 points of articulation; they also include an Elven shield and spear, long sleeved hooded chainmail and removable helmets which reveal a different head sculpt for each figure!
The ‘Elven Warrior’ carries a devastating double-handed Elven blade, which tucks away nicely into a rear worn scabbard. With an abundance of accessories, it’s hard to know which weapons to display this guy with!
What ‘Elven Archer’ would be complete without their Elven longbow? At around the same height as the archer, its length gave them the greatest shooting range, allowing them to take down enemies from afar. This accessory is accompanied by an elegant quiver and a mighty ten Elven arrows!
We’ve teamed up with our new friends at Numskull Designs to show off a couple of their very cool cosplaying ducks from TheLord of the Rings Trilogy. The subjects of this review are going to be the awesome-looking Aragorn and Sauron Cosplaying Ducks, as well as their very cool The Lord of the Rings pin sets.
You can get these two ducks for $12.99 each, and the pin sets for $7.99, from various collectibles stores on the net. However, we’re pleased to announce that starting tomorrow Friday 9th April, through Friday 30th April, if you follow TheOneRing.net AND Numskull Designs on Twitter, and like TORn’s tweet announcing the contest, you will be in with a chance to win a set of what you see in this review. (One lucky winner will be chosen at random, and contacted by Numskull Designs.) Good luck!
Just in time for Tolkien Reading Day: our friends at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt have sent us exciting news! Later this year, a new edition of The Lord of the Rings will be published, featuring – for the first time since the original 1954 publication – artwork by the Professor himself.
Here’s their full press release:
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media will publish a brand-new edition of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien that, for the the first time since its publication in 1954, will feature paintings, drawings and sketches by the author, in the U.S. on October 19, 2021.
Deb Brody, HMH’s VP and Publisher, says: ‘Professor Tolkien is known the world over for his literary and academic achievements, most especially as author of The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and the critically acclaimed and worldwide bestselling The Lord of the Rings.
‘His charming and evocative illustrations that accompanied The Hobbit, particularly the now-iconic image that appears on its cover, have become as beloved as the story they accompany.”
‘Yet the author himself was characteristically modest, dismissive of the obvious and rare artistic talent he possessed despite having had no formal training. This modesty meant that relatively little else of his artwork was known of or seen during his lifetime, and generally only in scholarly books afterwards.
‘This all changed in 2018, with the first of three record-breaking Tolkien exhibitions in Oxford, New York and Paris, at which hundreds of thousands of people were able to appreciate at first hand the extraordinary artistic achievement of a man known primarily for the written word. Among the exhibits was a selection of the paintings, drawings and sketches that Tolkien produced when writing The Lord of the Rings. Originally intended by him purely for his personal pleasure and reference, after such an overwhelmingly positive response by people to Tolkien the Artist it seemed fitting to finally reunite this art with the words it enhances, and we are delighted that in so doing it will allow people to enjoy this masterpiece anew.’
The Hobbit was first published in 1937 and The Lord of the Rings in 1954–5. Each has since gone on to become a beloved classic of literature and an international bestseller translated into more than 70 languages, collectively selling more than 150,000,000 copies worldwide.
The Lord of the Rings, illustrated by the author, will be published subsequently in translation around the world.
The awesome folks over at BudK have let us know that The Gauntlet of Sauron is now in-stock and ready for purchase. This thing is super cool looking; if you’re into prop replicas, this one will look amazing in your collection.
You can snag this right now for $349 from the BudK website.
Here is the full product description from United Cutlery:
A handmade, fully functional actor-scale reproduction of the gauntlet worn by the Dark Lord Sauron in The Fellowship of the Ring. Strictly limited to 1000 pieces worldwide, each one is presented with a wood wall display featuring a Sauron graphic motif. Crafted of genuine leather and iron, the gauntlet features more than 35 plate mail parts with an iron black finish and Intaglio surface engraving. Includes the One Ring with inscription, crafted in gold-plated metal.
