New Zealand nearly lost Amazon's Lord of the Rings series following the Christchurch mosque shootings

Radio New Zealand

Radio New Zealand reports that the New Zealand government had to persuade Amazon that the country was a safe place to shoot following the mosque attacks in March. Amazon could've moved the Lord of the Rings series to Scotland, which was expected to play a small role anyway, but Brexit uncertainty quashed that idea. Radio New Zealand reports that New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had a half-hour phone call with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on May 2, though her office insists it was only about the shooting.