THE LORD of the Rings franchise will continue with a new movie in 2026.
The latest installment will explore storylines from the books by author JRR Tolkien.
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Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, 64, spoke about the fantasy franchise in an earnings call, according to Variety.
Director Peter Jackson, 62, who helmed the original live-action trilogy, will reunite with his writing partners, Fran Walsh, 65, and Philippa Boyens, 62.
David mentioned the trio “will be involved every step of the way” as they “explore storylines yet to be told.”
“Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful and revered franchises in history and presents a significant opportunity for theatrical business,” he added.
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THE FILM SERIES
The trilogy follows Frodo (Elijah Wood) embarking on a quest to destroy the One Ring and save his home from the destruction of the Dark Lord Sauron.
The Dead Alive filmmaker revisited the literary books with The Hobbit trilogy, starring Martin Freeman, 52, and Aidan Turner, 40.
These three installments centered on Bilbo Baggins (Martin) reluctantly joining Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon known as Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch).
The first installment of the new batch is currently under the working title, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
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The Hunt for Gollum will be directed by Andy Serkis, who will reprise the role of Gollum in this new film, according to The Wrap.
“Yesssss, Precious. The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle Earth Peter, Fran and Philippa,” Andy said in a statement.
“With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our filmmaking family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious.”
Tolkien’s Middle-earth series continues with The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, and The Fall of Gondolin.
THE RINGS OF POWER
In August 2022, Amazon Prime adapted the epic text into a TV series, The Rings Of Power.
The Rings Of Power is set thousands of years before the events of The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit novels.
The storyline begins near the end of The Second Age, when the 20 rings of power were forged.
Actress Morfydd Clark plays a younger version of the elf Galadriel, portrayed by Cate Blanchett in the films.
During the first season, Galadriel sought revenge against Sauron, who murdered her brother.
JRR’s grandson, Simon Tolkien, is a consultant on the production.
Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful and revered franchises in history and presents a significant opportunity for theatrical business.
David Zaslav
The cast of The Rings of Power includes Lloyd Owen, 58; Lenny Henry, 65; Robert Aramayo, 31; and Simon Merrells, 58.
Showrunner Patrick McKay spoke about the fantasy adventure in an interview with Vanity Fair.
“It’s the forging of rings,” Patrick explained.
“Rings for the elves, rings for dwarves, rings for men, and then the one ring Sauron used to deceive them all.”
“It’s the story of the creation of all those powers, where they came from, and what they did to each of those races,” he closed with.
With five seasons planned, the Rings of Power has been renewed for a second season.
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