New 'Lord of the Rings' movies in the works at Warner Bros. Pictures, CEO says
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The "Lord of the Rings" film franchise goes ever on, apparently.
Even though filmmaker Peter Jackson's movie trilogies "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit," were acclaimed and exhaustive, there appear to be more stories to tell based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Multiple new "Lord of the Rings" movies are in the works, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said Thursday, during the company's fourth quarter earnings call.
The film studio's co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy signed a deal to expand "upon the much-loved world and characters of Middle-earth," they said in an announcement from Embracer, a Swedish media group including Freemode, which acquired the rights from Middle-Earth Enterprises in August 2022.
"Lord of the Rings is one of the most iconic storytelling franchises of all time, and we're so excited," Zaslav said. "Stay tuned for more to come on this front."
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When will we see new "Lord of the Rings" films?
“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” an anime film, is due in theaters April 12, 2024. It is set 183 years before the events in Tolkien's “The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and tells the story of the Helm Hammerhand, the king of Rohan.
Beyond that, there are no more films or dates announced. But the multi-year agreement involves films based on "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings," De Luca and Abdy said in a statement.
"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," they said.
Warner Bros. and Freemode will produce the movies with New Line Cinema, the Warner Bros.-owned production company behind the original "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
Is Peter Jackson involved in these new "Lord of the Rings" films?
Jackson told CNN in a statement that Warner Bros. and Embracer have kept he and collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens “in the loop” and that they “look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward.”
The Oscar-winning director has also helmed “The Beatles: Get Back” and World War I documentary "They Shall Not Grow Old" since completing the two trilogies,
When were "The Lord of the Rings" films released?
"The Fellowship of the Ring" arrived in theaters in December 2001, with "The Two Towers" out a year later and "The Return of the King" in December 2003. The final film won 11 Academy Awards (the trilogy won 17 overall).
Next came the trilogy of films based on the book "The Hobbit" including "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, released in December 2012, "The Desolation of Smaug" the following December, and "The Battle of the Five Armies" in December 2014. Collectively, the six films have earned nearly $6 billion at the box office globally.
What other Lord of the Rings-related projects are in the works?
Production has begun on Season 2 of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," Amazon Prime Video's prequel series to the "Lord of the Rings."
In December 2022, Amazon Studios' head of global television Vernon Sanders told entertainment news site Collider the series started production a couple of months earlier, but a release date isn't set yet.
"It would be amazing if we could get Season 2 out within a year of Season 1’s release," Sanders told Collider. "It may take a smidge longer than that, but we're doing everything we can, and we're going to get better and faster as we go.
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Season 1, which premiered in September 2022 and had its finale in October 2022, earned Amazon Prime Video its biggest premiere, drawing more than 25 million viewers worldwide. Overall, the series has been viewed by more than 100 million, the studio said.
Also in development:
"The Lord of the Rings: Gollum," a video game for consoles and PCs, from Daedalic Entertainment/Nacon, due by September 2023.
A mobile video game "The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth" from Electronic Arts, due later this year.
Take-Two Interactive is working with Weta Workshop on an as-yet-untitled game "set in Middle-Earth universe of J.R.R. Tolkien," the companies said in August 2022. The game is due by March 2024.
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Lord of the Rings': New movies coming Warner Bros. Discovery CEO says
