Amazon’s Lord Of The Rings series finds a new director in genre veteran Wayne Che Yip

Amazon’s The Lord Of The Rings series continues to bring together its fellowship of creatives. The fantasy epic, currently filming in New Zealand, has found a new director and co-executive producer in British Chinese director Wayne Che Yip, who will continue the work of Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona, who helmed episodes one and two of the series. He will direct four episodes.

Yip is known for his directing work in genre, including episodes of shows like Hunters, Preacher, Utopia, and Doctor Who, as well as episodes of the Chris Meloni-led Happy! He has also worked with Amazon Studios on the streaming platform’s upcoming fantasy series, The Wheel Of Time.

In a statement, Yip said he is excited to work with showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne, Patrick McKay, as well as Amazon Studios. “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 purchased the TV rights to The Lord Of The Rings for nearly $250 million in November 2017. Production on season one, which kicked off in February 2020, was halted only to resume later in the year. An eight-episode first season will drop in 2021 with a second season order already handed out.

The epic drama—set thousands of years before The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings movies—will focus on familiar and new characters who confront the re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. This series will span from the depths of the Misty Mountains to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor to the furthest reaches of the map, carving out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

The ensemble includes Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Nazanin Boniadi, Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, among literally dozens of others at this point.