In 2017, Variety reported that Amazon chief Jeff Bezos made an ambitious demand—he wanted Amazon Studios to create an original series that was as popular as Game of Thrones. With that in mind, the company has invested in some new projects in a big way, including putting a full billion dollars towards a series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings novels. This weekend some new info dropped about who’s going to be a part of the series—and who probably won’t.
In a gesture that really shows just how much hyped Amazon wants us all to be for this project, the company dropped a trailer for the show Saturday. And it’s not the usual sort of TV show trailer—it’s just a montage introducing the series’ creative team. The showrunners are JD Payne and Patrick McKay, the writers behind the upcoming fourth Star Trek film, and they head up a team filled with credits on hits like Game of Thrones and The Sopranos.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show is the most expensive TV series ever, and Amazon has committed to at least a five season-run. The story it tells will take place before the events in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Just one member of the cast is known so far, with Variety reporting earlier this week that Australian actor Markella Kavenagh would be playing a character named Tyra.
But Jackson-era LotR alum Orlando Bloom said in a recent interview at a Television Critics Association panel that it’s unlikely he’ll be returning as Legolas. "I like to think of myself as ageless but I don’t know where I would fit into that world,” he said. "If you’re saying as Legolas, they’ve probably got some 19-year-old kid who is ready to go."
Gabrielle Bruney is a writer and editor for Esquire, where she focuses on politics and culture. She's based (and born and raised) in Brooklyn, New York.
