By Hoai-Tran Bui/July 3, 2019 9:55 am EST
Writing duo JD Payne and Patrick McKay, who worked on Star Trek Beyond, lead a writers room for The Lord of the Rings that is believed to include several big-name writers including Breaking Bad alumna Gennifer Hutchison and Game Of Thrones veteran Bryan Cogman. Payne and McKay, who will also run the series, welcomed Bayona to the series, saying in a statement, “We are thrilled to have J.A. and Belen 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.”
“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.”
Bayona is best known for directing last year’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, a polarizing film that nonetheless allowed the director to show off his keen cinematic eye and went on to gross more than $1.3 billion worldwide. Though best known as a horror director with films like his breakout Spanish horror film The Orphanage, Bayona is not limited to the genre, directing dramas like The Impossible and A Monster Calls. He’s had his experience in TV too, directing the first two episodes of Showtime’s hit series Penny Dreadful.
