Peter Jackson And Lord Of The Rings Co-Writers Offer Intruiging Statement Regarding New Franchise Plans
The literary works of the late author J.R.R. Tolkien have become the stuff of legend. The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit" are undeniable classics, hence why they're still celebrated decades after they were first printed. Unsurprisingly, this reverence has led to various film and television adaptations, the most famous being director Peter Jackson's Middle-earth saga: a six-film series encompassing the events of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" which went on to find strong financial success and largely positive reactions from moviegoers and critics alike.
The end of the "Hobbit" prequel series, titled "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," reached the silver screen in 2014, bringing Jackson's cinematic Middle-earth adventures to an end. It would take just under a decade for a new live-action Tolkien adaptation to arrive, this time courtesy of Amazon Prime. "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" debuted in 2022, taking viewers to a time long before the likes of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins in TV form. It ultimately found success, making it seem that the future of Middle-earth was on the small screen.
As it turns out, that notion is false. Warner Bros. Discovery and New Line Cinema are eyeing more Middle-earth movies — something Peter Jackson and the "Lord of the Rings" co-writers were quick to comment on.
Jackson and company are interested in the franchise's future
News of interest from Warner Bros. in returning to J.R.R. Tolkien's world came on February 23, 2023, when CEO David Zaslav revealed the company's intention — alongside Embracer Group AB and New Line Cinema — to make more "Lord of the Rings" films. In response to this news, Peter Jackson and his "Lord of the Rings" writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens commented, "Warner Brothers and Embracer have kept us in the loop every step of the way. We look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward," (via Variety).
While this is far from proof that Jackson, Boyens, and Walsh will take part in the upcoming "Lord of the Rings" features, these comments are certainly intriguing. They made a multi-billion dollar franchise out of the original "Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" trilogies, so it could be in Warner Bros. Discovery's best interest to bring them on. Then again, the studio has yet to attach any names to the new projects, so it could be that it wants to bring in new creative minds to usher in this new era of Middle-earth movies.
The phrase "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" certainly comes to mind here, but it can't hurt to keep an open mind. Regardless of whether or not Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens are involved, it'll be interesting to see where Warner Bros. Discovery and New Line Cinema take their new set of "Lord of the Rings" movies.