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Warner Bros. and New Line announced plans to make more The Lord of the Rings movies recently, leading many to wonder what the director and writers of the original trilogy have to say about that. Well, director Peter Jackson and writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have weighed in.
In a statement to Deadline, the trio confirmed: “Warner Brothers and Embracer have kept us in the loop every step of the way.”
It sounds like very early days, though, as Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens said they look forward to the opportunity to speak with WB and Embracer to “hear their vision for the franchise moving forward.”
This is a key development because the trio were not involved in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for Amazon Studios. Fans of the original trilogy of films may be heartened to learn that three of the people most responsible for making those movies are at least in discussions with WB and Embracer as the companies plot the next steps in the Lord of the Rings cinematic universe.
Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens each earned Academy Awards for The Lord of the Rings, which together grossed billons and were beloved by fans.
In August 2022, Embracer announced it had acquired Middle-earth Enterprises, the company that owns the rights to The Lord of the Rings. The news this week was that Embracer and WB/New Line cut a deal for new Lord of the Rings films, though fans shouldn’t get too excited just yet. It sounds like the earliest of early days for any new Lord of the Rings film project. What we do know, though, is that new films to come will not be remakes of Jackson’s trilogies for The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, or retread old ground.
“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,” WB said.
One Lord of the Rings film from Warner Bros. and New Line is already in production. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated film about one of the legendary kings of Rohan, and is set 183 before the events of the original films, featuring Brian Cox and Mirando Otto as voice actors.
When Embracer acquired the film rights, it floated films about Gandalf, Aragorn, Galadriel, and Eowyn as potential, future projects. The most prominent Lord of the Rings project of recent years is the Amazon Prime TV show The Rings of Power, which debuted its first season in 2022.
