New Lord of the Rings movies are going to happen from Warner Bros. Discovery and Middle-earth Enterprises.
The announcement was made Thursday by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav in the company’s Q4 investors call where the stock is up over 64% since the first of the year.
The details include that Warner Bros Pictures has signed a multi-year deal to develop new movies with Middle-earth Enterprises which owns the exclusive worldwide rights to the motion picture, games, merchandising, stage, and other rights for Tolkein literary works including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.
“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,” Lee Guinchard, CEO of Embracer Group’s operative group Freemode, said in statement today. “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.”
“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,” Warner Bros Pictures Group co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy 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.”
Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit have made close to $6 billion at the box office
The previous Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films were also at Warner Bros Pictures with Peter Jackson which grossed nearly $6 billion.
Update: Peter Jackson and his writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have weighed in on the announcement.
“Warner Brothers and Embracer have kept us in the loop every step of the way,” the Oscar-winning trio filled in Deadline. “We look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward.”
An original anime movie is also in development with The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim from New Line and Warner Bros Animation, which is set 183 years before the events in The Lord of the Rings and tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan; the flick gets released theatrically on April 12, 2024.
Middle-earth Enterprises also has the Rings of Power live-action series at Amazon with Season 2 in development.
(via Deadline)
