Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line are headed back to Middle-earth as the studio is set to develop more movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” books.
Swedish gaming company Embracer Group acquired the rights to ‘Rings’ film, games, merchandise, theme parks and live productions last year when it purchased rights holder Middle-earth Enterprises from The Saul Zaentz Company.
Warner Bros. Discovery announced during an investor call Thursday that it has closed a multi-year deal with rights holders Embracer Group AB that allows them to develop the new films.
A complicating matter is Amazon holds the TV rights to the property which is how they released their lavish “The Rings of Power” streaming series last year. Whether that will impact the viewership of any potential film release is not clear.
CEO David Zaslav says Warners is very much in the franchise game again and reportedly wants to get back to the glory days of the 2000s when the studio had ‘Rings’, “Harry Potter” and Nolan’s Batman films all powering the studio’s bank balance.
Lee Guinchard, CEO of Embracer’s Freemode, says the plan is to develop these films as carefully as is required:
“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.”
Warner Bros. film bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy add they don’t plan to retread the iconic trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson has already done:
“Twenty years ago, New Line took an unprecedented leap of faith to realize the incredible stories, characters and world of The Lord of the Rings on the big screen. The result was a landmark series of films that have been embraced by generations of fans.
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.”
The Jackson-directed trilogy released from 2001-03 earned a combined $2.9 billion at the box office. New Line’s already in development of a separate standalone animated feature, “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” and that remains on the calendar for 2024.
Source: THR
