New ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Movies In The Works After Warner Bros. Lands Rights

etcanada.com:

Middle Earth is returning to the big screen. On Thursday, during an earnings call, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced the studio has landed the rights to produce new “Lord of the Rings” films. READ MORE: James Corden Reveals The Role He Auditioned For In ‘Lord Of The Rings’ The deal to produce “multiple” new Middle Earth-set films was struck with Swedish gaming company Embracer Group, which owns the rights to the franchise, Variety reported.

Under Embracer’s Freemode division, the deal includes rights to both the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books, with the films being produced under the banner Middle-earth Enterprises.

What those films will look like is still unknown, but while no filmmakers have been attached to the project, “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies director Peter Jackson and his collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are being kept in the loop by the studio. “We look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward,” the filmmakers said in a statement. “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,” said Lee Guinchard, CEO of Freemode. “We understand how cherished these works are and working together with our partners at New Line Cinema and Warner Bros.