New Lord of the Rings Movies in Development at Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. is officially headed back to Middle-earth. On Thursday, during the Warner Bros. Discovery quarterly earnings call, company CEO David Zaslav revealed that a new deal is in place to make more Lord of the Rings movies at the studio. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Discovery and New Line have entered into a multi-year deal with Embracer Group AB, which currently holds the film rights as of last year. The studio already has an animated film based on the franchise, The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim, which is set to be released in theaters in 2024.
"We're going to have a real focus on franchises," Zaslav said during an earnings call late last year. "We haven't had a Superman movie in 13 years. We haven't done a Harry Potter movie in 15 years. The DC movies and Harry Potter movie provided a lot of the profits of Warner Brothers Motion Pictures over the last 25 years. So focus on the franchise. One of the big advantages that we have, House of the Dragon is an example of that. Game of Thrones, taking advantage of Sex in the City, Lord of the Rings, we still have the right to do Lord of the Rings movies. What are the movies that have brands that are understood and loved everywhere in the world."
Who owns the Lord of the Rings rights?
Last August, the IP rights for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were purchased by Embracer Group, with plans to extend the franchise even further. Prior to that purchase, Prime Video developed the first season of a television show in the franchise, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which has already been greenlit for a second season..
"I am truly excited to have The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, one of the world's most epic fantasy franchises join the Embracer family, opening up more transmedia opportunities including synergies across our global group," said Lars Wingefors, Founder and Group CEO Embracer Group, at the time. "I am thrilled to see what lies in the future for this IP with Freemode and Asmodee as a start within the group. Going forward, we also look forward to collaborating with both existing and new external licensees of our increasingly stronger IP portfolio."
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