The highly anticipated return of Middle Earth is one step closer to being completed. Earlier today, Entertainment Weekly reported that JD Payne and Patrick McKay have been tasked with writing the scripts for the Lord of the Rings TV series, produced by Amazon. If you’re wondering who these guys are, they’re pretty new to the writing field, and have only done/are doing movies (Star Trek 4 and Jungle Cruise). As surprising as that may be, another hit show’s (and my personal favorite) writers first TV writing gig was writing for that show: Game of Thrones. Am I suggesting that instead of a Battle of the Bastards, we’ll get a Battle of the Half-Men? Probably not. But before we freak out over this hiring, let’s give these guys a chance to show us what they’ve got.
The duo, who typically only work together, released this statement earlier today:
“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.”
Amazon, which made a multi-season commitment to the Lord of the Rings TV series that is estimated to cost up to $500 million, is taking a big risk, but like I said earlier: HBO did the same and it paid off pretty well. Now, we know that this series is going to be set in Middle Earth and takes place before Fellowship of the Ring, which means there probably won’t be any Frodo, Sam, Merry, or Pippin; but here’s to hoping we get some Legolas, Gimli and Gandalf backstories! And how could would it be for Sean Bean to reprise his role as Boromir?! (Let’s just hope he keeps his head this time)
Are you excited for this series? Which characters are you hoping to see? Let us know below in the comments!
A few of my favorite things include my pet dragon (Drogon), Game of Thrones, Disney movies and theme parks, the MCU, DC movies, Star Wars, sports, and my rather large Funko Pop collection. Daenerys Targaryen is my queen, Robert Downey Jr is my man crush, and Simba is my spirit animal.
