Following the death of a horse on site, filming on the latest series of Lord of the Rings spin-off The Rings of Power was promptly halted earlier this week.
According to accounts, cast members were distraught after the animal went into cardiac arrest during a combat scene practise.
The horse was one of 100 racing towards cameras on site at Shottesbrooke Park in Maidenhead, Berkshire, with a rider on its back and dressed in full costume.
According to the Mail on Sunday, filming on the Prime Video series was halted following the tragedy, but work resumed at the end of the week.
Sharing details of the incident, one source told the publication: ‘It was absolutely heartbreaking. It came out of nowhere.
‘One minute the horses were all charging down the field towards the camera and the next minute there was one on the ground. The next thing we all knew, it was dead.’
They went on to say that the situation was “awful” and that people were in “total shock.”
According to another account, a vet and a member of the American Humane Association animal welfare group were both on set at the time of the horse’s death.
Amazon announced in August 2021 that its big-budget programme will film season two in the United Kingdom rather than New Zealand.
Production on the eight-episode next installment, set for 2024, began in October last year, with Charlotte Brändström, Sanaa Hamri, and Louise Hooper in charge of the direction.
Rings of Power tells the story of how the legendary rings were forged, the ascension of the dark lord Sauron, and the final alliance between humans and elves in the Second Age. It is based on the appendices of JRR Tolkien’s The Lords of the Rings novels, as well as The Silmarillion, Tolkien’s Unfinished Tales, and The History of Middle-Earth.
Rings of Power is available to watch on Prime Video.