JA Bayona To Helm ‘The Lord of The Rings’ Episodes for Amazon TV

Spanish film director Juan Antonio García Bayona shared his delightful announcement on Twitter that he will be directing the first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings (via The Wrap). Amazon’s billion-dollar, five-season Lord of the Rings adaptation series is based on the novels written by J.R.R Tolkien. With director JA Bayona aboard—who’s no stranger to big-budget effects work—his past works include films such as Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), The Orphanage (2008), The Impossible (2012), A Monster Calls (2016), and The Queen of Spain (2017).

J.R.R. Tolkien created one of the most extraordinary and inspiring stories of all time. 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.https://t.co/imSFOSh5MJ

— JA Bayona (@FilmBayona) July 3, 2019

Following the footsteps of Peter Jackson, who directed the feature adaptations, Bayona’s quite excited to start filming. Bayona will also serve as an executive producer, working alongside his producing partner Belén Atienza.

What The New The Lord of the Rings Director Has To Say

According to Bayona, “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 back to Middle-earth and have them discover the wonders of the Second Age, with a never-before-seen story.”

In addition, Jennifer Salke, Amazon Studios head said, “The scope and breadth of J.A.’s world-building is exactly the right fit for our ambitions for The Lord of the Rings. He’s a passionate and collaborative director who has brought new stories to life with his multi-talented producing partner, Belén.”

“We are thrilled to have J.A. and Belen joining the fellowship as we continue to develop this epic series,” writers JD Payne and Patrick McKay added. “We have been great admirers of J.A.’s work for years, and know that his epic, cinematic, and deeply heartfelt aesthetic is the perfect sensibility to bring Middle-earth to life anew.”

What We Know About The Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings series is produced by Amazon Studios in cooperation with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema. The show is also set to have one of the biggest budgets in television history, a $1 billion budget has been allotted, 3.5 times more expensive than Peter Jackson’s 2000 trilogy. In addition, casting for the show has yet to be announced. The Amazon series is set to start filming in August in Scotland and New Zealand.

The Lord Of The Rings series is expected to be released in 2021.