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Warner Bros Pictures is revamping the ‘Lord of the Rings’ film franchise. On a Thursday, Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced that newly-installed studio leaders Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy have brokered a deal to make “multiple” films based on J. R. R. Tolkien books.
The projects will be developed through WB label New Line Cinema. The first ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy, helmed by Peter Jackson, grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide; Jackson’s follow-up trilogy based on Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” matched those grosses.
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No filmmakers have been attached to the projects as yet, but in a statement to TMZ, Jackson and his main ‘Lord of the Rings’ collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens said 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,” Jackson, Walsh and Boyens said.
Freemode, a division of Embracer Group, made the adaptive rights deal for books including ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and “The Hobbit.” The pact will be billed under the name Middle-earth Enterprises.
Notably, De Luca and Abdy left MGM last year to take the helm of Warner Bros Their exit followed the acquisition of MGM by Amazon — the tech giant owns the TV rights to “Lord of the Rings” and produced a single season of television at the gut-busting price of over $450 million in 2022.
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“Following our recent acquisition of Middle-earth Enterprises, we’re thrilled to embark on this new collaborative journey with New Line Cinema, 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 Pictures, we plan to honor the past, look to the future, and adhere to the strongest level of quality and production values.”
