Amazon’s insanely expensive Lord of the Rings series is picking up steam. We still don’t know many details about the show, but we know it’s set during the Second Age of Middle-earth — the period when Sauron was busy forging the Rings of Power and Aragorn’s ancestors were living on the doomed island of Númenór — and that at least one actor has been cast. Still, it’s early days with plenty of news to come.
We also know that former Game of Thrones scribe Bryan Cogman is attached to the project. Now, the show’s official Twitter account has released a nifty little video showing off the rest of the creative team:
Meet our Fellowship. pic.twitter.com/Npouu6ZlRt
— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) July 27, 2019
The showrunners on this project are J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, who are probably best known for writing the cancelled Star Trek 4. Neither of them have much experience, which could be a good or a bad thing depending on your point of view. It takes a new perspective to shake things up, you know? And I assume their pitch must have been impressive if Amazon gave them the reigns of something this big.
Anyway, their full team includes includes:
- Gennifer Hutchison (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul): Writer/executive producer
- Jason Cahill (The Sopranos): Writer/executive producer
- Justin Doble (Stranger Things): Writer/executive producer
- Bruce Richmond (HBO production chief for Game of Thrones): Executive producer
- Lindsey Weber (10 Cloverfield Lane): Executive producer
- Gene Kelly (Boardwalk Empire, Westworld): Executive producer
- Sharon Tal Yguado: Executive producer
- Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones): Consulting producer
- Stephany Folsom (Thor: Ragnarok, Toy Story 4): Consulting producers
- Ron Ames (The Aviator): Producer
- Helen Shang (Hannibal): Writer/co-producer
- Glenise Mullins (Terminator Genisys): Writing consultant
- Kate Hawley (Suicide Squad): Costume design
- Rick Heinrichs (Star Wars: The Last Jedi): Production design
- Jason Smith (The Revenant): VFX
- Tom Shippey: Tolkien scholar
- John Howe (The Lord of the Rings film trilogy): Illustrator and concept artist
“Tolkien scholar” is a good gig if you can get it.
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McKay and Payne praised their team in a press release. “This team is our Fellowship — assembled from around the world, all walking the road together to try and accomplish something far greater than any of us could on our own. We feel humbled and extremely lucky to be surrounded by such inspiring and talented women and men.”
Amazon Studios CEO Jennifer Salke also chimed in: “As our journey into Middle-earth begins, we are in excellent hands with J.D. and Patrick at the helm, with this incredible team of talent that they’ve assembled.”
Shooting should start on the show in the near future, but don’t look for it to debut for a while, well into 2020 at the earliest. Will it be worth all the investment?
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h/t Vulture