'The Lord Of The Rings' Has New Movie In The Works From Warner Bros. & New Line Cinema
By Jeffrey Harris on February 25, 2023 at 12:15 PM EST
It looks like "The Lord of the Rings" is making a comeback to the big screen. Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema are returning to the realm of Middle-earth as part of a new multiyear deal with Sweding gaming company, Embracer Group, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Under the new contract, Warner Bros. is able to develop new films for "The Lord of the Rings" franchise.
'The Lord Of The Rings' Getting New Feature From Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Discovery announced the deal in an investor call on Thursday (Feb. 23). Embracer Group AB had previously acquired the rights to produce films, games, merchandise, theme park attractions, and live productions for "The Lord of the Rings" after purchasing the rights holder Middle-earth Enterprises in 2022 from The Saul Zaentz Company.
Under the new multiyear pact with Embracer Group, Warner Bros. and studio New Line will be able to develop more films for "The Lord of the Rings" film series. New Line Cinema previously produced the celebrated Oscar-winning film trilogy "The Lord of the Rings," directed by Peter Jackson. The studio also produced the prequel film trilogy, "The Hobbit," which Jackson also directed.
THR notes that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav with the announcement is looking to assure Wall Street investors that Warner Bros. still has major franchises under its banner, harkening back to the glory days of the 2000s with the original "Harry Potter" and "LOTR" films, along with Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy. Zaslav had previously floated the idea of a return to the "LOTR" film series in November of last year.
"The Lord of the Rings" film trilogy was based on the books authored by J.R.R. Tolkien, released as three separate films as individual chapters, the same as the books, with "The Fellowship of the Ring" in 2001, "The Two Towers" in 2002, and "The Return of the King" in 2003. All three films were nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
"The Return of the King" received all 11 awards of its 11 Oscar nominations in 2004, including Best Picture, Best Director for Jackson, and Best Adapted Screenplay by Jackson, Philippa Boyens, and Fran Walsh. The original "LOTR" film trilogy earned combined $2.9 billion at the worldwide box office. While "The Hobbit" films weren't as critically well received as the original "LOTR" trilogy, the films were still sizable hits.
New Line is also developing an animated feature based on "LOTR" as well. The feature "The War of the Rohirrim," set before the events of Jackson's films, is due out later next year. Kenji Kamiyama is directing the project.
According to THR, Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens are aware of the film deal. They revealed in a statement, "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." Based on their comments, they sound open to a return to the film franchise.
The Oscar-winning team did not have any involvement in Amazon Prime's hit big-budget television series, "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power." The show debuted on Prime Video last year, and it currently has a second season in the works. Jackson previously revealed during a podcast with THR that he was at one point asked to be involved in the show, but Amazon Studios later did not follow up with him.
Amazon currently holds the television rights to Tolkien's "LOTR." Warner Bros. and the Tolkien estate settled an ongoing legal dispute over the rights back in 2017. Now, the film rights appear to lie with Warner Bros. and Embracer Group.
What direction Warner Bros. and New Line plan to take this new "LOTR" feature, especially with "The Rings of Power" exploring the Second Age of Middle-earth is unclear. The previous films have primarily been set in Middle-earth's Third Age.
In a statement, Warner Bros. Pictures studio heads Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy indicated they are not interested in a rehash of Jackson's previous films, and they would like to delve further into the world Tolkien created that "remains largely unexplored on film." How that plays out remains to be seen. Previously, De Luca was president of production for New Line cinema when the original film, "The Fellowship of the Ring," started production. However, he was let go by the studio before it was released.
The first season of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, with Season 2 due to arrive next year. "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" film trilogies are streaming now on HBO Max.
