Fans and former stars alike were shocked when it was announced that Season 2 of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings series was heading out of New Zealand to shoot in the United Kingdom, marking the first time any live-action Middle-earth project has been filmed anywhere else.
While the streaming service are entitled to do whatever they want with the property having made a billion-dollar commitment, it looks as though they aren’t abandoning everything associated with Peter Jackson’s time at the helm. Composer Howard Shore, winner of three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes and four Grammys, has entered talks to return to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien to provide some continuity, as per Deadline.
Shore’s themes are instantly recognizable to fans the world over, and it wouldn’t be unfair to suggest that The Lord of the Rings may be his best work, even though he’s scored countless classics during a career that dates back over 40 years including The Fly, The Silence of the Lambs, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Departed and many more.
It would be a huge coup for Amazon’s Lord of the Rings were Shore to agree to a return, because anybody else would find their work being directly compared to the sweeping majesty of his arrangements anyway. It could also help ease any doubts brought on by the move outside of New Zealand, knowing that the sprawling fantasy epic would at least sound the same, even if the locations are different.