With every network looking to fill the void left by HBO’s Game of Thrones, Amazon’s bid for the crown comes in the form of a big budget Lord of the Rings reboot. First reported in late 2017, the wheels of production continued to turn until today, when the first official regular cast member was tapped for a role. Variety reports that Markella Kavenagh is a finalist for a role known only by name, Tyra. The forthcoming high fantasy epic is being kept notoriously under wraps and as little as possible is being revealed.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kavenagh has previously been in the BBC miniseries The Cry and Picnic at Hanging Rock. She most recently starred in Romper Stomper, series for which she received a Rising Star[s] Award from the Casting Guild of Australia.
The Lord of the Rings series is being helmed by JD Payne (Star Trek Beyond, Star Trek 4) and Patrick McKay (Star Trek Beyond, Star Trek 4) with J.A. Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) set to direct the first two episodes. Other big names in the writers’ room are, allegedly, Gennifer Hutchison (Breaking Bad) and Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones).
The story itself is set to expand upon new storylines taking place before J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. The show’s twitter account sent out an official map along with two messages:
“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie”
As well as:
“Welcome to the Second Age”
According to Tolkien lore, the Second Age was essentially the creation and ascendance of the Rings of Power, including Sauron’s One Ring.
The series has been in production since late 2017 when Amazon first acquired the rights for a whopping $250 million from the Tolkien estate, publisher HarperCollins, and New Line (the production company of the 2000s Peter Jackson films). The new series was cemented with a nine-figure multi-season commitment; so, if one thing is sure, it’s that there’s quite a bit more to come.