The Return of the Films

Warner Bros. Discovery is ready for second breakfast. Last Thursday, CEO David Zaslav announced on an earnings call that WBD and production studio New Line had signed a deal to make “multiple” new Lord of the Rings films.

Which is… interesting, given Amazon’s recent all-in commitment to the LOTR franchise with The Rings of Power, the streamer’s most expensive and most viewed series. And much like Gandalf and Sauron, WBD and Amazon aren’t exactly besties.

🧙‍♂️💍 What’s going on?... In 2001, a human from the race of Men named Peter Jackson dared to do the impossible by adapting J.R.R. Tolkien’s books into the $3 billion trilogy of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. The final film of the series won all 11 Oscars it was nominated for, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Here’s where it gets interesting. J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate had nothing to do with Jackson’s films. In fact, it was actively against them, with J.R.R.’s son Christopher saying they “eviscerated” his father’s books, “[reducing] the aesthetic and philosophical impact… to nothing.”

• In 2017, the Tolkien estate did give Amazon permission to make its LOTR series, but under one condition: it couldn’t include any mention of the Third Age stories depicted in Jackson’s films. (Which is why The Rings of Power focuses exclusively on the Second Age.)
• But the new films from Warner Bros. Discovery will continue exploring the Third Age – and though Jackson hasn’t been officially attached, the director has been hinting that he may be involved.