Posted in: Amazon Studios, Lord of The Rings, Preview, TV | Tagged: amazon, Amazon Prime, bleeding cool, cable, lord of the rings, prime video, streaming, television, tolkein, tv, will poulter

"Lord of the Rings": Will Poulter Joins Amazon Prime Prequel Series [REPORT]

In mid-July 2019, Amazon Prime Video's upcoming Lord of the Rings series started rolling out updates – beginning with reports that Markella Kavenagh (Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Cry) was set to join the highly-anticipated epic fantasy series as a character named Tyra. Then during the Television Critics Association (TCA) summer press event, the streamer formally introduced the creative team behind the project (more on that below).

Now, Variety is reporting that actor Will Poulter (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Midsommar) has joined the series in an undisclosed lead role. Representatives for Poulter and Amazon have not commented on reporting.

In the video below, LotR fans learned the creative team's killer line-up of talent – including Amazon's ex-genre head Sharon Tal Yguado as well as Lindsey Weber (10 Cloverfield Lane), Bruce Richmond (Game of Thrones), Gene Kelly (Boardwalk Empire), and Tal Yguado – as well as writer/executive producer Gennifer Hutchison (Breaking Bad); writer/executive producer Jason Cahill (The Sopranos), and writer/executive producer Justin Doble (Stranger Things)

Writers JD Payne and Patrick McKay are developing the series and serving as showrunner, with Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones) serving as a consultant. Juan Antonio (J.A.) Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) is set to direct the first two episodes, with Bayona also serving as executive producer alongside producing partner Belén Atienza. Amazon Studios produces, in conjunction with the Tolkien Estate and Trust, HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema.

"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 to Middle-earth and have them discover the wonders of the Second Age, with a never before seen story."

– J.A. Bayona

While specific details on the Lord of the Rings  series are still few-and-far-between, we do know that the new stories will take place prior to J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Fellowship of the Ring." Also very telling are the tweets that have come out from the series' official Twitter account, which allude to the "Second Age" – a time when the Rings of Power were first revealed.

"We are thrilled to have J.A. and Belén joining the fellowship as we continue to develop this epic series. 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."

– JD Payne & Patrick McKay

In addition to names listed above, the creative team behind Amazon Prime's "Lord of the Rings" series are executive producers Lindsey Weber, Bruce Richmond, Gene Kelly, and Amazon's former head of genre programming Sharon Tal Yguado; writer and executive producer Gennifer Hutchison; writer and executive producer Jason Cahill; writer and executive producer Justin Doble; consulting producer Stephany Folsom; producer Ron Ames; writer and co-producer Helen Shang; and writing consultant Glenise Mullins. Bayona will executive produce alongside partner Belén Atienza.

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