More than 18 months after Amazon announced its Lord of the Rings TV series, the epic production has found its first cast member.

Australian actress Markella Kavenagh has joined the series as a character name Tyra, Variety reports. Kavenagh is best known for her roles in last year's Picnic at Hanging Rock TV series and the BBC miniseries The Cry starring Doctor Who alum Jenna Coleman.

Progress on the hotly-anticipated Lord of the Rings series is definitely beginning to ramp up. Earlier this month it was confirmed that Spanish filmmaker J. A. Bayona (Jurassic Park: The Fallen Kingdom, The Impossible) will direct the first two episodes of the series.

"J.R.R. Tolkien created one of the most extraordinary and inspiring stories of all time," Bayona said when his role on the series was announced. "I can’t wait to take audiences around the world to Middle-earth and have them discover the wonders of the Second Age, with a never before seen story."

Very little else is known about the series, other than that it will introduce new storylines that take place ahead of Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring. It was reported back in November 2017 that Amazon had paid a whopping $250 million for the global rights to the novel, and plans to make a sprawling series that spans multiple seasons and even a spin-off. So it definitely sounds like an epic production for an epic novel.

How are you feeling about the Lord of the Rings TV series?