Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings series has seen another major update in its development. The latest news sees British director Wayne Che Yip sign on to direct four episodes.
Variety confirmed the news in a recent report. Wayne Che Yip has a decent resume behind him going into work on the Amazon show. His previous credits include directorial work on Doctor Who, Preacher, and Doom Patrol. Interestingly, the Lord of the Rings series isn’t the only big-budget fantasy series he’s working on. Che Yip is also the director for two episodes in Amazon’s adaptation of Robert Jordan’s iconic fantasy series The Wheel of Time.
The show’s official Twitter account shared the news with a picture of the director’s clapperboard featuring Wayne’s name :
From all of us on set here in New Zealand, wishing you a happy #TolkienReadingDay. pic.twitter.com/WB0riJoDmo
— The Lord of the Rings on Prime (@LOTRonPrime) March 24, 2021
“It is a true honor to be invited into the world of Tolkien by J.D. & Patrick and Amazon Studios,” Yip said in a statement. “Every day, I look forward to working with the incredible team here in New Zealand as we humbly contribute to the legacy of the greatest stories ever told.”
Amazon has invested a lot in this show. In fact, they paid a gigantic $250 million to secure the rights. They plan to tell a story outside the classic Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit we know and love. Instead, they will take a riskier movie and chronicle the legendary events that took place in Middle-earth’s second age. Of course, while this seems interesting, veering away from what we know presents possible risks. What if fans don’t find those stories as interesting?
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show has been coming along nicely since it was announced. However, it recently hit a roadblock when actor Tom Budge announced he was leaving the project due to creative differences. We still don’t know who he was playing, but he had already filmed scenes. Hopefully, this doesn’t put a delay on its release.
This news comes in good time, too. Tomorrow (March 25) it’s officially Tolkien Reading Day. There’s no better time to dive right into Middle-earth.
