Warner Bros. Pictures is taking another journey to Middle Earth as it returns to The Lord of the Rings franchise.
On an earnings call on Thursday, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced that the new leaders of the studio Mike De Luca and Pam Andy have made a deal to make “multiple” films that are based on the J.R.R. Tolkien books. These projects will be developed through New Line Cinema.
At this point no filmmakers have been attached to the projects yet. The first The Lord of the Rings trilogy was helmed by Peter Jackson and brought in nearly $3 billion globally. Jackson also created The Hobbit trilogy which brought in similar numbers. Jackson released a statement to Variety with his The Lord of the Rings collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens said that Warner Bros. and Embracer “have kept us in the loop every step of the way.”
“We look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward,” Jackson, Walsh and Boyens said.
A deal for the adaptive rights deal was made by Freemode, a division of the Embracer Group. The deal includes The Lord of the Rings and also The Hobbit. The deal is billed under the name Middle-earth Enterprises.
De Luca and Abdy both came over to run Warner Bros. after MGM was acquired by Amazon. Amazon has the TV rights to The Lord of the Rings and spent $450 million for one season of The Rings of Power that debuted on the streaming service in 2022.
“Following our recent acquisition of Middle-earth Enterprises, we’re thrilled to embark on this new collaborative journey with New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures, bringing the incomparable world of J.R.R. Tolkien back to the big screen in new and exciting ways,” said Lee Guinchard, CEO of Freemode. “We understand how cherished these works are and working together with our partners at New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures, we plan to honor the past, look to the future, and adhere to the strongest level of quality and production values.”
At this time, there isn’t a timeline attached to these movies. This does revisit a beloved franchise that was brought to life from the pages to the screen with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001. The movies scope, grandeur, and immersion brought the stories to life in a way that had never been seen before. As Warner Bros. returns to Middle Earth it is unknown what involvement Peter Jackson will have with them, if any.
What do you think about more movies being made about Middle Earth? What would you like to see them be about? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
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