Deadline is reporting that J.A. Bayona has been tapped to direct the first two episodes of Amazon Studios' upcoming
The Lord of the Rings television series, which will explore new storylines set before
The Fellowship of the Ring. The series has also already secured a multi-season commitment from the streaming giant in a massive nine-figure rights deal with the Tolkien estate.
Following the announcement, Bayona expressed his excitement in the following statement, “
J.R.R. Tolkien created one of the most extraordinary and inspiring stories of all time, and as a lifelong fan it is an honor and a joy to join this amazing team. I can’t wait to take audiences around the world to Middle-earth and have them discover the wonders of the Second Age, with a never before seen story.”
Uncredited
Star Trek Beyond scribes JD Payne and Patrick McKay created the series and will serve as showrunners, leading a writers room that will also feature the likes of Gennifer Hutchison (
Breaking Bad) and Bryan Cogman (
Game of Thrones), amongst others.
Bayona most recently helmed Universal's billion-dollar blockbuster
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and his directing credits also feature a number of critical darlings, including
The Orphanage,
The Impossible,
A Monster Calls, and the first two episodes of Showtime's
Penny Dreadful.