Penny Dreadful director on board for Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show

Amazon is planning to spend upwards of $1 billion on a show set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, so it better get its money’s worth. Production on the massive project is grinding to life, with sets being scoped out and, as Deadline reports, a director for the first two episodes getting hired.

That director is J.A. Bayona, who’s perhaps best known for directing last year’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which brought in over $1 billion at the box office. And that’s great, but I’m more interested in Bayona for directing the first two episodes of the Showtime cult hit Penny Dreadful. If he can combine his blockbuster experience with his smaller-scale storytelling instincts, Amazon could have something here.

Also coming aboard as an executive producer is Bayona’s producing partner Belén Atienza. Oh, and the “J.A.” stands for Juan Antonio, if you were wondering. “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,” Bayona said in a statement. “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.”

This is yet more confirmation that Amazon’s series takes place during the Second Age of Middle-earth, when Sauron spent time forging the Ring of Power and tricking the powerful Númenóreans into dooming themselves and sinking their blessed island. It could be a fun time.

Showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay were also psyched to have Bayona aboard. “We are thrilled to have J.A. and Belén joining the fellowship as we continue to develop this epic series,” they said. “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.”

At the moment, Payne and McKay’s writing room also former Game of Thrones scribe Bryan Cogman and possibly Breaking Bad veteran Gennifer Hutchison. We’re not sure how big it will get.

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Finally, Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke wasn’t about to be left out of the statement-releasing frenzy. Quoth Salke:

"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 multitalented producing partner, Belén. We are all excited for them to join our writers JD Payne and Patrick McKay, and we can’t think of a better way to begin this journey to Middle-earth."

We still don’t know how many episodes the first season of the Lord of the Rings show will have, or what it will be about, or when it will come out. It’s nice to see it come together, though. Here’s hoping the team can live up to expectations.

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