A new Lord of the Rings film from Warner Bros. is in the pipeline with a view to being released in 2026.
An earnings call today (9 May) had Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announcing that the new film will 'explore storylines yet to be told', while Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens 'will be involved' every step of the way.
This upcoming film is expected to be the first in a series of new movies revisiting the fantasy world created by J.R.R Tolkien.
Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit movies have already covered the most popular of Tolkien's works, but there are still other tales to be told and source material to draw from.
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Zaslav said: "Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful and revered franchises in history and presents a significant opportunity for theatrical business."
It had been announced last year that there were plans to work on new Lord of the Rings films, and there have previously been declarations that new films wouldn't step on the toes of the movies Jackson previously worked on.
Now we have a somewhat clearer picture about when the film will be arriving, who will be working on it and what it might be about.
Warner Bros. bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy had secured a deal to make 'multiple' films from Tolkien's work, so don't expect the movie coming in 2026 to be the only one.
Back in February 2023, they said: "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.
"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."
The original Lord of the Rings films have become beloved movies, raking in a fortune at the box office and picking up a plethora of awards at the same time.
They delighted millions by bringing Tolkien's fantasy epic to life, and annoyed dozens by leaving out Tom Bombadil.
While The Hobbit movies weren't quite so beloved, they still have their core of defenders, who spent their time lovingly re-cutting the footage from that trilogy into new versions of the films.
However, Peter Jackson's work is no longer the only live action Lord of the Rings game in town these days.
Amazon spent a veritable fortune on their new series The Rings of Power, and the fantasy genre has experienced something of a boom in recent years, with other shows and films hoping to capture some of the magic of Lord of the Rings.
One can only hope that these new Lord of the Rings films also bring back Howard Shore to do the music.
Topics: Lord Of The Rings, TV and Film, Warner Bros
Joe Harker