Season 1 of Rings of Power was filmed in New Zealand, while season 2 of the fantasy series was filmed in the United Kingdom. The events in Rings of Power take place in the Second Age, an age characterized by a desperate power-grabbing bid of the evil Sauron and the courageous alliance of elves and humans that take him on.
Where Was The Rings of Power Filmed?
Rings of Power was filmed in New Zealand and United Kingdom. The Season 1 of Rings of Power was filmed in New Zealand. The rolling fields, beautiful islands as well as other picturesque natural spots in the country served as the location for the filming of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. As such, it didn’t come as a surprise that it was chosen for the sequel series. Filming of the first season of Rings of Power took place in New Zealand from February 2020 to August 2021. The duration was elongated by the covid-19 pandemic and the attendant lockdown.
Season 2 of Rings of Power was filmed in the United Kingdom from October 2022 to June 2023. The locations include Bray Film Studios, which boasts almost 54,000 square feet and a 183,000-square-foot back lot. There is also Bovingdon Airfield, to the northwest of London in Hertfordshire, which has 60 acres of open land.
The reason for this change in location has to do with the fact that Amazon, the company behind the series, had invested heavily in studio space in the U.K. for the production of other TV series airing on their platform. They thus decided to take advantage of that. There is also the fact that they were thrown off by the rigid pandemic measures put in place by New Zealand authorities.
Rings of Power Season 1 Filming Locations
- Auckland Film Studios, New Zealand
- Denize Bluffs
- Mangaotaki Valley Aotearoa
- Piha Beach
- Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Auckland
- Coromandel Peninsula Auckland
- Mount Kidd Fiordland
- Central Otago South Island
- Kahurangi National Park South Island
- Manapouri, Fiordland
Rings of Power Season 2 Filming Locations
- Bovingdon Airfield, Chesham Road, Bovingdon, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
- Bray Film Studios, Windsor Road, Water Oakley, Windsor, Berkshire
What Year Does Rings of Power Take Place?
Rings of Power is a sequel to hugely successful film trilogies such as The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. As such, it is natural for one to wonder about the timeline in which it takes place compared to the others. Well, Rings of Power takes place in the Second Age of Arda or Middle Earth.
This age is characterized by the peaceful co-existence of the elves and men until some humans become jealous of the immortality of the elves. A dark and evil lord, Sauron, then devises a plan to gain control of both men and elves by producing the one ring. The elves revolt, and with the help of great seafarers known as Númenóreans, they are able to triumph.
Sauron goes away to lick his wounds but carefully makes his way back to continue pursuing his grand ambition. This time around, the elves and humans join for a last alliance to defeat him. The events in Rings of Power take place over thousands of years, but this was condensed for the pursuit of the show in order to make for one story that unites all the aspects, rather than a documentary type of work.
How Long Before Lord of the Rings is Rings of Power?
The events in Rings of Power take place thousands of years before Lord of the Rings. The defeat of Sauron by the last alliance of elves and men straddles the two timelines. It marks the ending of Rings of Power and the beginning of Lord of the Rings. However, Sauron still bounces back in Lord of the Rings.
The elves and humans, therefore, dedicate themselves to finding the one ring and destroying it in Lord of the Rings. Sauron, the titular lord of the rings, on the other hand, fights hard to get the one ring so that he can control dwarves, elves, and men alike.
