Amazon ropes in JA Bayona to direct 'Lord of the Rings' series

Filmmaker JA Bayona will be directing the initial two episodes of Amazon's upcoming "Lord of the Rings" adaptation. The 44-year-old director, who most recently worked on blockbuster "Jurrasic World: Fallen Kingdom", will also executive produce the series alongside his partner Belen Atienza.

"JRR 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," Bayona said in a statement. "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," he added.

Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said Bayona's skill of world-building was the reason why they chose him to start the project. "The scope and breadth of JA'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 multitalented producing partner, Belen," she said.

"We are all excited for them to join our writers JD Payne and Patrick McKay, and we can't think of a better way to begin this journey to Middle-earth," she added. Recently, Bryan Cogman, who worked as a writer and co-executive producer on "Game of Thrones", boarded the project as a series consultant.

He is helping out the writing team of McKay and Payne, who were announced as series developers last year. Amazon has made a multi-season production commitment to the TV series. It will produce the show in cooperation with the Estate of J R R Tolkien, publishing house HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema, a division of Warner Bros.

However, the series will not be a retelling of Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning trilogy. It will explore a story set before the events in the first LOTR novel, "The Fellowship of the Ring".