After months of speculation and rumors, it appears that Amazon’s highly-anticipated “Lord of the Rings” prequel series is finally getting off the ground. Recently, we learned that “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” filmmaker J.A. Bayona was attached to direct multiple episodes of the series, and now, according to Variety, we know at least one member of the cast.
The report says that actress Markella Kavenagh has signed on to star as Tyra in the upcoming ‘Rings’ series. No word on who the character is, or what her role in the series will consist of, but Kavenagh is the first person to be attached to the $1 billion fantasy series since it was announced over a year ago.
Kavenagh is a relative unknown in film and TV, but has starred in series like “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” “Romper Stomper” and “The Cry.” She’ll next be seen in the film “My First Summer.”
All that’s really known about Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings” series, at this point, is that its a prequel that is likely set in what’s called The Second Age. In terms of ‘Rings’ mythology, that era is best known as the beginning of the war for the rings and the rise (and subsequent fall) of the evil Sauron. Outside of that information, it would appear that the series will largely be full of surprises and most definitely won’t be a retread of Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning trilogy of films from the early 2000s.
As is normally the case with film and TV projects, when the cast members first start getting announced, it’s likely that production is about to ramp up. If that’s the case and we learn about more actors joining the cast and the series begins production later this year, we could be looking at a 2020 release for the massive series.