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New Zealand Defense Force veiled in LOTR cloak of silence - Lord of the Rings news - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

July 17, 2000 at 17:16:10

At least 100 New Zealand soldiers will soon be working on Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings", but the New Zealand Defense Force has been muffled by a more powerful force: ThreeFootSix Productions.

The New Zealand Press is reporting that the NZDF will contribute 100 soldiers to the Mount Potts filming part of the project near Canterbury next month, but their contract with ThreeFootSix prohibits their disclosing any details.

Although it was widely reported in 1999 that up to 15,000 extras would be provided by the NZDF, international obligations forced the army to cut back on that commitment drastically. The air force may step in, according to recent news reports, and provide some of the manpower that Peter Jackson needs for his three-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

Although not exactly a matter of national security, "The Lord of the Rings" project has generated a wave of economic booms throughout New Zealand and has merited almost as much news media scrutiny as the NZDF's involvement in other countries. The NZDF has already contributed at least one film location: a bombing ground, where cast and crew were required to sign disclaimers against accidental death and dismemberment.

While talking about the shoot at Dragoncon, Karl Urban (cast as Eomer) told fans that a munitions expert was brought in to show the production crew what to look out for. The expert, according to Urban, produced explosive device after explosive device for the crew to become familiar with, usually accompanying the exhibits with the a grim warning. No accidental deaths or dismemberments were reported from the set, but three Ents mysteriously vanished.