J A Bayona to direct Amazon's Lord of the Rings series
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Louise Duffy
| 05 July 2019

Filmmaker Juan Antonio (J A) Bayona (The Orphanage, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, The Impossible) is to direct the first two episodes of Amazon Studios’ upcoming Lord of the Rings series based on J R R Tolkien’s fantasy novels.

His first feature film, the critically acclaimed thriller The Orphanage, executive produced by Guillermo del Toro, won seven Goya Awards in Spain, including best new director. He most recently directed the blockbuster feature Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom; The Impossible, starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor; A Monster Calls, starring Sigourney Weaver, Liam Neeson, and Felicity Jones; plus the first two episodes of Showtime’s hit series Penny Dreadful.

Bayona will also serve as an executive producer, alongside his partner Belén Atienza. Commenting on his task, he said: “J R R Tolkien created one of the most extraordinary and inspiring stories of all time, and as a lifelong fan it is an honour and a joy to join this amazing team. I can’t wait to take audiences around the world back to Middle Earth and have them discover the wonders of the Second Age, with a never-before-seen story.”

Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, added: “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 multi-talented producing partner, BelÈn. We are all excited for them to join our writers J D Payne and Patrick McKay, and we can’t think of a better way to begin this journey to Middle Earth.”