New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. have minted a deal to produce more Lord of the Rings films. While no details about future projects have been revealed, it is clear that movies will not be remakes or tread over already explored areas of Middle Earth.
As reported by Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav revealed the news on a company call discussing its Q4 2022 earnings. The deal was broken with Embracer Group, which obtained the franchise’s film rights in August 2022. Warner Bros. and New Line were behind the Peter Jackson-helmed Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as the follow-up Hobbit films.
A statement from Warner Bros Pictures Group Co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Addy indicate that the films will not explore the territory covered by those films. They said, “But for all the scope and detail lovingly packed into the two trilogies, the vast, complex and dazzling universe dreamed up by J.R.R. Tolkien remains largely unexplored on film. The opportunity to invite fans deeper into the cinematic world of Middle-earth is an honor, and we are excited to partner with Middle-earth Enterprises and Embracer on this adventure.”
One Lord of the Rings film from Warner Bros. and New Line is already in production. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated film about one of the legendary kings of Rohan, and is set 183 before the events of the original films.
What these new films will concern, and whether they will see any creative staff or cast return, is a matter of speculation. When Embracer acquired the film rights, it floated films about Gandalf, Aragorn, Galadriel, and Eowyn as potential, future projects. The most prominent Lord of the Rings project of recent years is the Amazon Prime TV show The Rings of Power, which debuted its first season in 2022.
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