The animal suffered a cardiac arrest on March 21, before rehearsals for the second season of the fantasy series derived from the Lord of the Ringsbroadcast on Prime Video.
Animal rights activists have condemned the death of a horse on the set of the spin-off series Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power. As reported by the American media Deadlinethe animal suffered a cardiac arrest on March 21, before rehearsals for season 2 of the hit series from Prime Video.
“We are deeply sorry to confirm that a horse died on March 21. The incident happened in the morning when the horse was exercising before rehearsals. The trainer was not in costume and the filming had not yet started”, explained Amazon in a press release relayed by Deadline.
And to add: “A veterinarian and a representative of the American Humane Association were present at the time. The autopsy confirmed that the horse died of heart failure.”
According Deadlinemore than 30 horses were present on the set during the incident, supplied by the company The Devil’s Horsemenwho works for productions such as Wonder Woman, Justice League, Game of Thrones or The Crown.
Using horses in computer graphics
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) quickly reacted to the animal’s death in a statement, urging the entertainment industry to stop using real horses in filming.
“The ‘Rings of Power’ producers have the ability to use CGI, mechanical contraptions and other methods that would not result in the death of vulnerable horses on set,” PETA said in a statement. relayed by the American media Variety.
“If the creators of the series and all the other producers can’t help but exploit animals for their work, they should release their creations in another medium, because nobody wants to see a spin-off with the theme of suffering,” PETA continued.
Filming in the UK
In the past, director Peter Jackson has also faced criticism while filming the prequel to the Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 2012 where more than a dozen animals, including horses, died. Recently, another horse also died “of natural causes” in 2022 while filming the series. The Gilded Age the HBO.
After setting up in New Zealand for its first season, The Rings of Power is now filming in the UK. A true Prime Video hit, the series is set during Tolkien’s “Second Age” in Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of the Hobbit a you Lord of the RingsTolkien’s cult trilogy.
Amazon paid $250 million to buy the rights from Tolkien, and some $465 million was spent on the production of the first season. The group having committed to broadcast five seasons, the final sum should far exceed one billion.
