Amazon Studios has unleashed the news that John D. Payne and Patrick McKay have been selected to write and develop the mammoth The Lord of the Rings telly series, an adaption of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved novels.
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The pair are behind the upcoming and currently untitled Star Trek 4 flick which follows Star Trek Beyond (2016).
The news was announced by Amazon Studios frontwoman, Jennifer Salke, at the 2018 Television Critics Association and though the duo weren’t there they did have a statement read out to spread the major hype:
“The rich world that J.R.R. Tolkien created is filled with majesty and heart, wisdom and complexity.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Amazon to bring it to life anew. We feel like Frodo, setting out from the Shire, with a great responsibility in our care — it is the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime.”
No pressure.
Per Deadline, Payne and McKay go way back and met on their high school debate team. As well as Star Trek 4, the duo were in the writing room for the third instalment in the revamped monster series, Godzilla vs. Kong. That baby’s due for release in 2020 but already has Kiwi legend Julian Dennison locked in to kick some more ass. In the mean time, the second flick in the series, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, has a trailer out and stars the excellent Millie Bobby Brown and Sally Hawkins.
After a bloody battle between Netflix and Amazon, the latter sealed a deal for a five-season television adaption of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. The deal was reportedly worth a cool $250 million and was between Amazon Studios, HarperCollins, New Line Cinema, and the Tolkien estate.
Per extremely dedicated fandom website TheOneRing.net, the first season will apparently be about a young Aragorn AKA Thorongil, one of the ranger’s many aliases. There hasn’t been official confirmation for this although TheOneRing.net are quite confident in their industry sources.
You can check out that entire, and blessedly detailed thread, report below:
[BREAKING] We have confirmed from multiple sources that @AmazonStudios new billion-dollar #LOTR series will open its first season centered on a young Aragorn.
Let’s discuss whats available and how this opens up Tolkien’s Legendarium. A thread. #Tolkien
/1 pic.twitter.com/mfbkf4jyX6— TheOneRing (@theoneringnet) May 16, 2018
Quality GIF choice.
