Warner Bros. Discovery and their subsidiary New Line Cinema have announced they have brokered a deal for multiple Lord of the Rings films. It’s been more than 20 years since Peter Jackson’s epic, visionary masterpieces took the world by storm. It has also been a couple of months since the release of the Amazon adaptation, The Rings of Power hit the streaming site, to mixed reviews. However, it seems Warner bros. believes it is the perfect time to adapt more of legendary author, J.R.R Tolkien’s work to the big screen.
A Newly Formed Fellowship
Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive David Zaslav recently announced the finalization of a new deal with Freemode. Freemode is a division of the Swedish entertainment company, Embracer Group. The Embracer Group recently acquired the rights to the Lord of the Rings films, merchandise, games, and live productions in August 2002, when it bought Middle-Earth Enterprises. Though, it’s important to note Amazon owns the TV rights to the Lord of the Rings franchise. It seems Warner Bros. and Embracer hope to capitalize off of the franchise’s intensely loyal fanbase. Although sometimes such a fanbase can be a blessing and a curse.
This past year, Amazon released Rings of Power, a second-age Middle-Earth tale that shook the internet to its core. Regardless of its reception amongst the die-hard fans, and the 450 million production cost, the Amazon Studios head honcho, Vernon Sanders seemed very pleased.
“It’s just been a powerhouse for us. And, as big of an investment as it’s been, it has more than paid off for us” said Vernon in an interview with Collider. When you can profit from a 450-million-dollar investment despite half of the fanbase shunning the project, it seems like a no-brainer for the production companies to keep the ball rolling.
The Return of the King
So, what will the new films be about? Hopefully not another reboot, right? Well, according to Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, the brains behind the multi-year deal and overseers of Warner films and New Line Cinema, the answer is no.
“Twenty years ago, New Line took an unprecedented leap of faith to realize the incredible stories, characters, and world of Lord of the Rings on the big screen,” said the duo.
“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,” they added.
For fans of the series, including myself, this is a huge relief considering the overall state of the film industry these days.
Riders of Rohan
The first project set to release in April of 2024, has already been named. We’ll travel 183 years in the past from the events of Lord of the Rings, to visit Rohan and Helm’s deep once more. The War of the Rohirrim is stated to expand on the life of a legendary king from Middle-Earth. Helm Hammerhand was the ninth king of Rohan, allowing fans to see how he became a legendary figure, on the silver screen.
The Lord of the Rings films have grossed almost 3 billion dollars worldwide and dominated awards ceremonies. With all the love this franchise has garnered over decades, I can only hope Warner Bros. Discovery and the Embracer group can continue to cement J.R.R. Tolkien’s creative genius and influence for many years to come.
We’ll be sure to keep you up to date on any Lord of the Rings news, here at Strangely Awesome.
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