Warner Bros. and New Line announced they’re set to produce new Lord of the Rings movies, now that its rights have a new owner.
The new film adaptations are now coming (via Hollywood Reporter) under a multiyear deal between Embracer Group, the Swedish gaming publisher that seemingly has endless reserves of cash.
While new film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary classic The Lord of the Rings are front and center now, the rights acquired will let Embracer produce not just films – but also games, merhandise, and even theme parks.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced the new film adaptations in an investor call last week, a move he hopes to make alongside calming Wall Street investors that Warner Bros. is still pumping out lucrative franchises.
Peter Jackson was director on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, a gig he famously got under much scrutiny as he previously did much smaller, low budget films. The trilogy went on to earn billions at the box office and Return of the King got him an Oscar for best picture in that year.
Jackson returned after a tumultuous production cycle for their big Hobbit prequel film series, which also spanned three films. Warner also has the animated spinoff The War of the Rohirrim still on track for a release in 2024.
Jackson and Lord of the Rings partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens provided a statement on the new film production.
“Warner Bros. and Embracer have kept us in the loop every step of the way,” the trio said. “We look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward.” Jackson was also famously ghosted by Amazon on their Rings of Power prequel series.
Lee Guinchard, CEO of Embracer subsidiary Freemode admitted they have a huge project on their plate.
“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,” Guinchard said.
Warner Bros. film bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy have already hinted they want to do something entirely different with the new films, and not a return to Jackson’s adaptation.
“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,” they said. “The result was a landmark series of films that have been embraced by generations of fans.”
They added, “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.”
