Warner Bros. has confirmed new The Lord of the Rings films are officially in the works, but fans have begged the studio to “leave it alone”. Variety reports that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced the news during an earnings call on Thursday, confirming new studio heads Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy have made a deal to produce “multiple” films based on the J.R.R. Tolkien novels.
Peter Jackon’s original The Lord of the Rings trilogy – released between 2001 and 2003 – grossed nearly $3bn worldwide, with his follow-up The Hobbit trio boasting a similar gross. No filmmakers have been attached to the new project, but Jackson and his Lord of the Rings collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens said Warner Bros. “have kept us in the loop every step of the way.”
In a statement to Variety, they said: “We look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward.”
