The pre-production of the Lord of The Rings series is underway, and a second season of series has already been confirmed.
Deadline reported Amazon's studio head Jennifer Salke confirmed the news.
The 2017 rights deal for the global TV production of the J.R.R. Tolkien series included a multi-season and spinoff commitments, but Amazon Studios must green light each new season to go ahead.
The show will be produced in New Zealand and is set to be the most expensive TV show ever produced.
The timing of the deal means the hiatus between the first and second seasons will be shorter, and the break about filming the first two episodes will allow the writing team to produce the majority of the scripts for season two.
The approach is similar to how Peter Jackson filmed the LOTR movie trilogy, and the strategy allows for efficient filming. It could mean parts of season two are able to be shot during the first season's production.
It also caters for New Zealand's weather, with filming set to get underway in 2020 after winter.
J.D. Payne and and Patrick McKay are the show's executive producers and showrunners. The lead cast of the show is yet to be confirmed, however, Will Poulter, Markella Kavenagh and Joseph Mawle are reported to be starring in the series.
