Peter Jackson to make new ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie
Warner Bros have confirmed plans for a new Lord of the Rings movie, and director Peter Jackson is aboard for the ride.
The revelatory news has been revealed by Warner Bros Discovery’s CEO, David Zaslav, who shared the information with stakeholders during a first-quarter earnings conference call. According to Zaslav, they are preparing to release the forthcoming film in the Lord of the Rings franchise in 2026, however, this could be subject to change.
While Jackson, who previously directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy, will not helm the upcoming film, Zaslav says the New Zealander “will be involved every step of the way”. The CEO also revealed Jackson’s writing colleagues Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are set to play a role.
Instead, Andy Serkis will be in charge of directing the first instalment, which has been given the working title, The Hunt For Gollum, and will focus on the titular character portrayed by the English actor. Executive producer duties will be carried out by Ken Kamins along with Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish.
Zaslav remarked of the franchise: “Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful and revered franchises in history and presents a significant opportunity for our theatrical business.”
As of yet, the upcoming movie is only the early script development phase and there is no official plot for the production. Nevertheless, Zaslav promised the 2026 movie will “explore storylines yet to be told” within Middle Earth.
The update comes after Zaslav previously announced in 2023 that the new leaders of Warner Bros, Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, secured a deal to bring more of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books to life in development with New Line Cinema.
The company Freemode made the deal for the adaptive rights to Tolkien’s books. Lee Guinchard, the CEO of the Freemode, said of the agreement, which has been named Middle-earth Enterprises: “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.”
Guinchard added: “We understand how cherished these works are, and working together with our partners at New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures, we plan to honour the past, look to the future, and adhere to the strongest level of quality and production values.”
News of a forthcoming Lord of the Rings movie arrives days after the tragic death of Bernard Hill, best known for his performance as King Theoden in the film series. His co-star Elijah Wood was one of many who paid tribute, sharing a photo of Hill taken by Viggo Mortensen and noted, “So long to our friend, our king Bernard Hill. We will never forget you.”
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