Amazon type TV Show

Amazon Studios has picked one writer — actually two — to rule them all.

After a lengthy search, the streaming service has selected its showrunners to develop its highly anticipated mega-budget Lord of the Rings TV series.

Relative newcomers JD Payne and Patrick McKay have been tapped for the gig. Their writing credits include the upcoming Star Trek 4 for Paramount and adapting the upcoming Jungle Cruise for Disney. Surprisingly, neither have previous TV credits (but then again, the showunners for HBO’s Game of Thrones never ran a TV show before landing that job either, and they did pretty well).

“The rich world that J.R.R. Tolkien created is filled with majesty and heart, wisdom and complexity,” the writing duo said in a statement. “We are absolutely thrilled to be partnering with Amazon to bring it to life anew. We feel like Frodo, setting out from the Shire, with a great responsibility in our care — it is the beginning of the adventure of a lifetime.”

Amazon has made a multi-season commitment to the LoTR project, which has been estimated as costing up to $500 million dollars, making it the most expensive freshman TV project of all time. Set in Middle Earth, the television adaptation will explore new storylines preceding J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. So Frodo and Sam probably won’t be making an appearance, but you know who would make sense? Gandalf. Possibly Legolas and Gimli too?