A fellowship of Tolkien Fans embarks on unchartered territory with the goal of bringing to life "Lord of the Rings" film director Peter Jackson's depiction of Gondor's capital city of Mina Tirith.
Admittedly, the group are well aware of the project's immense scale which would cost them an estimate of £1.85 billion or roughly $2.9 billion. They plan to build the fully-functional version of the fictional city somewhere in the southern region of England, and they are asking for cash pledges via the crowdfunding site Indiegogo.
"We all share a love of Tolkien's work, and a desire to challenge the common perception of community and architecture," the group wrote in the Indiegogo campaign proposed by Jonathan Wilson. "We believe that, in realising Minas Tirith, we can create not only the most remarkable tourist attraction on the planet, but also a wonderfully unique place to live and work."
Mr. Wilson told Today.com that it was after watching the film series that he and some friends decided to venture into the construction project. They chose Minas Tirith because they thought it was the most attainable and sustainable to undertake.
As of this writing, the campaign has racked up close to £56,000 ($87,500) from more than 1,400 people, which is way less than one percent of the total goal. The group still has 47 days left for their 60-day campaign period.
A good chunk of their proposed budget amounting to £1.4 billion ($2.19 billion) will go to the cost of the material; £188 million ($294 million) for labor; £15 million ($23.5 million) for the cost of the land; and the rest for maintenance and operating expenses until 2053. They hope to start the construction of the project in 2016 and complete it in 2023.