Rings of Power: Amazon Studios Head Reacts to New Lord of the Rings Movies

There are new , and that’s big news for more than just Warner Bros. Pictures. It’s been almost a decade since the studio’s last Middle-earth movie, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, opened in theaters. In the meantime, Amazon picked up the rights for a Middle-earth streaming television series. That series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, debuted in 2022, taking viewers to the Second Age of Middle-earth. Amazon Studios is already shooting its second season, but with new right-holder Embrace Group also teasing multiple The Lord of the Rings video games in the works, there are suddenly more ways to visit Middle-earth than fans may have expected. Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke remains committed to The Rings of Power, despite all this, noting the large investment that the studio has already put into the series.

“We’ll see,” Salke told Variety in response to a question about whether we may be approaching too much Lord of the Rings for the market. “We love our original series. We’re extremely proud of it, and invested long-term. So, we definitely think there’s enough fan love to sustain ours for a long time.”

What will the new Lord of the Rings movies be about?

Producers Mike De Luca and Pamela Abdy are in charge of overseeing the new Lord of the Rings movies. Both have plenty of experience in the business, though this is their first big franchise.

In a statement released when the new films were announced, the two producers seemed confident there’s plenty of Middle-earth to explore. “For all the scope and detail lovingly packed into the two trilogies, the vast, complex and dazzling universe dreamed up by J.R.R. Tolkien remains largely unexplored,” they said. 

Is Peter Jackson involved with the new Lord of the Rings movies?

Peter Jackson helmed the Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy. While he’s not officially involved with the films in any direct way, he and co-writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens did comment on the news, noting that they were already apprised of the developments.

“Warner Brothers and Embracer have kept us in the loop every step of the way,” they said in a joint statement. “We look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward.”

When does the next The Lord of the Rings movie release?

There’s no date yet for the next The Lord of the Rings live-action movie. The animated feature The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will release in theaters on April 12, 2024.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is filming its second season, expected to premiere in 2024. The show’s first season is streaming now on Prime Video.