It’s Official: New Zealand is STILL Middle-Earth!

As we mentioned on Monday, there has been a bit of controversy the last few weeks between Warner Brothers and the government of New Zealand over production of the two Hobbit films, which was, of course, centered on money (and unions, contracts, and tax credits, and… well, it’s all about money). Well Peter Jackson must be thanking his lucky stars since the New Zealand government and WB have agreed to terms in order for Jackson to shoot the film in New Zealand, as he wished. Click more for more specifics on the deal.

This essentially was a win-win situation for everyone involved. The production can re-use the sets from the Lord of the Rings films and Jackson can spend less time scouting new locations for the films. New Zealand ends up with a huge amount of production jobs as well as continued tourism appeal — since the Lord of the Rings films, New Zealand has seen a dramatic rise in tourists who want to experience “Middle-Earth.” But most of all, director Jackson will be able to shoot the films early next year where he always wanted to (and not in the U.K., as WB threatened), and that certainly is a victory for anyone who believes in a director’s vision.

Click here if you missed Monday’s big post on The Hobbit casting news!

Happy to see the films shooting in New Zealand, or would you have preferred to see what the U.K, could have offered? Let us know below!