Ian McKellan, The Lord Of The Rings The Fellowship Of The Ring Photo: New Line/WireImage ( Getty Images)Amazons Lord Of The Rings is on the verge of becoming the most expensive TV show of all time. The start-up costs and the budget for the first season (of five) are expected to cost $465 million. The New Zealand Herald, the nation's biggest newspaper, has released a report that suggests there could be problems with the series. At least one stunt performer claims that they were subject to unsafe filming practices.AdvertisementThe report reveals that three stunt performers were seriously injured while filming the show. One of them, Elissa, was also reported to have received $500,000 from Amazon for her on-set injury. The Herald report makes it clear that the payment was reportedly made in part to assist Cadwell in returning home to Australia. Grant is about to have brain surgery to treat an aneurysm. However, it's important to remember that Grant worked on many projects after Rings and that there's no direct link between her current condition or the injury she sustained on the show.Thomas Kiwi, a stunt performer who has previously worked on many of Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings or Hobbit movies, was the only one to speak out about safety concerns. Kiwi criticized the show's handling of stunts, noting that he quit the series in March following a backflip injury to his rotator cuff. Kiwi claims that his concerns regarding the stunt's rigging were ignored by the show staff. Also, industry-standard procedures, which include meeting with the people who would be rigging him for wire work to discuss the stunt, were not followed. Kiwi stated that they should have been more open to the idea because there is a lot happening in the stunt team and some unsafe things that has happened. I just left.Amazon insists that it did nothing wrong during filming, despite allegations that it under-reported injuries to WorkSafe NZ (the government agency responsible for work safety and health in New Zealand). Amazon Studios is committed to the well-being of its cast and crew, a spokesperson stated. The production team is committed to ensuring compliance with all WorkSafe NZ Safety and Security regulations. Any report or allegation that activities on set are unsafe, or are not in compliance with regulations is completely false.Lord Of The Rings will likely premiere in late 2021.
