The Best New Lord of the Rings Movie Would Adapt Tolkien’s 109-Year-Old Story (but There’s a Catch)

The next Lord of the Rings movie will hit theaters in 2027, but there are many films we’d like to see more than The Hunt for Gollum. And the best would adapt a 109-year-old story from J.R.R. Tolkien that’s taken several forms over its life. Given how thorough Tolkien’s writings about Middle-earth are, there’s so much opportunity to expand Warner Bros.’ franchise beyond Peter Jackson’s films. Unfortunately, the most recent attempt to dig into Tolkien’s lore — The War of the Rohirrim — proved disappointing, receiving poor reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and making just $20 million globally (via Box Office Mojo).

Of course, that doesn’t mean other narratives from Middle-earth aren’t worth exploring. And the studio shouldn’t count on nostalgia to get fans back into theaters, despite the desire to return to the trilogy driving The Hunt for Gollum. With the right approach and creative team, there are better directions the Lord of the Rings franchise can go in. One story from Tolkien is begging to be adapted, and it’d be a great starting point — though there’s one glaring issue that complicates matters.

Beren and Lúthien Is the Best Tolkien Story for a Lord of the Rings Movie to Adapt

There are many pieces of Middle-earth’s history that could be unpacked in future films, but Beren and Lúthien feels like the most obvious story for an adaptation. The tale has taken multiple forms since Tolkien’s first crack at it in 1917. Once called The Tale of Tinúviel, it was reworked numerous times, with a version eventually appearing as a chapter in The Silmarillion. In 2017, Christopher Tolkien published Beren and Lúthien as a collection chronicling the revisions over the years. One thing they have in common is that they tell a love story set against the backdrop of Morgoth’s reign.

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And given the high stakes and romance of Beren and Lúthien, it’s somewhat surprising it hasn’t been brought to the screen. The characters’ quest to steal a Silmaril from Morgoth’s crown provides a suspenseful and dramatic plot for a feature film. Meanwhile, the love between the two characters offers an emotional hook that will keep viewers watching — even as they realize it can only end in tragedy. All three of Tolkien’s “Great Tales” are easy to envision as films, but this one feels the most promising. There are undertones of hope within it, yet it’s very different from the main story. It would work well as a standalone, though it could just as easily pave a new path forward for the franchise.

This Lord of the Rings Movie Would Take the Franchise in Exciting New Directions

Several elements of Beren and Lúthien make it a smart choice for a movie adaptation. However, the most exciting prospect of bringing it to the screen is the chance to take the Lord of the Rings franchise in a new direction. While Warner Bros.’ films mostly focus on Tolkien’s Third Age, and The Rings of Power tackles the events of the Second Age, the First Age of Middle-earth has never been depicted on-screen. There are allusions to it throughout The Rings of Power, which touches on Sauron’s past and how Morgoth contributed to his rise to power. However, existing Tolkien adaptations have yet to immerse us in that landscape.

A successful take on Beren and Lúthien would prove a First Age story could work, opening the door to more glimpses of this time period. As Morgoth is The Lord of the Rings’ most fearsome villain, it would be fascinating to see Tolkien’s world during the height of his power. And Beren and Lúthien being a love story would set it apart from everything that’s come before. While there’s some romance in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this would place a far greater focus on it. It’s an ideal way to reset expectations of what the franchise can be, revitalizing it in the process.

There’s a Catch That Makes a Beren and Lúthien Movie Unlikely to Happen

Unfortunately, while a Beren and Lúthien movie is the most promising direction for Warner Bros. to go in, rights issues make one unlikely. The Tolkien Estate still holds the rights to The Silmarillion, and Warner Bros. can only adapt material from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (as well as the appendices). And from what Peter Jackson said at San Diego Comic-Con in 2012 (via Tolkien Library), it doesn’t sound like there’s much interest in changing that. With that in mind, we can probably expect more projects connected to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit rather than adaptations of Tolkien’s Great Tales. It’s a shame as the latter really do have potential.

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