Amazon has tapped JD Payne and Patrick McKay for its TV adaptation of Lord of the Rings.
The announcement was made by Amazon Studios Head Jennifer Salke at the summer Television Critics Association press tour in Beverly Hills, on Saturday.
Payne and McKay have been working together for a while, most recently on Star Trek 4 and Cruise Jungle. They have been chosen by the multi-platform media giant to helm it ambitios TV series.
“There was a lot of time spent talking about ideas and different takes,” Salke said. “It’s a big development process as they build out this world.” In a press release, the Payne and McKay said they are “absolutely thrilled” to be on board. “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.”
A Lord of the Rings series was announced by Amazon last November after it acquired the worldwide rights to a TV version of J.R.R. Tolkien’s book trilogy. ET reports that the multi-season series will explore Middle Earth prior to the events of The Fellowship of the Ring.
