Warner Bros.'s LORD OF THE RINGS: HUNT FOR GOLLUM produced by Peter Jackson (2026) 0

[Bosco685]

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Warner Bros. has made it official: It will be returning to Middle Earth.

 

On Warner Bros. Discovery’s first-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, CEO David Zaslav said that the company is “now in the early stages of script development” for new Lord of the Rings movies, which he says they “anticipate releasing in 2026” and will “explore storylines yet to be told.”

 

Zaslav says that director Peter Jackson and his longtime writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens “will be involved every step of the way.”

 

“Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful and revered franchises in history and presents a significant opportunity for our theatrical business,” Zaslav said.

 

WBD first said that it was developing new LOTR movies a little over a year ago, cutting a deal with rights holders Embracer Group AB to develop new films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series.

 

As The Hollywood Reporter noted at the time, Amazon is also developing its own larger TV universe for the franchise, potentially leading to the two competitive visions. Jackson and his co-writers were said to be frustrated that many people thought they were involved in the Amazon shows, when they were not.

 

Edited May 9 by Bosco685

[Ken Aldred]

The extended cut trilogy was enough for me.

Edited May 9 by Ken Aldred

[Bosco685]

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Andy Serkis is returning to Middle-earth to direct the newest Lord of the Rings movie. The prolific filmmaker is widely known for his motion-capture work in bringing Gollum to life in the original The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and is also an accomplished director in his own right. With Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav confirming the studio is developing a new slate of Lord of the Rings movies, we now have confirmation on what the first film will be titled and when it's coming out. During this morning's WB earnings call, Zaslav revealed the new film, titled Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, will be helmed by Andy Serkis and will premiere in theaters in 2026.

 

As the title suggests, Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will feature Serkis' Gollum as its main character. Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are writing the screenplay, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim). Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is executive produced by Ken Kamins, with Serkis and The Imaginarium's Jonathan Cavendish. Peter Jackson is producing with Walsh and Boyens.

 

"For over two-decades, moviegoers have embraced the Lord of the Rings film trilogy because of the undeniable devotion Peter, Fran and Philippa have shown towards protecting the legacy of Tolkien's works, and to ensure audiences could experience the incredible world he created in a way that honors his literary vision," said Warner Bros. Motion Pictures heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy in a joint statement. "We are honored they have agreed be our partners on these two new films. With Andy coming aboard to direct Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum(*WT), we continue an important commitment to excellence that is a true hallmark of how we all want to venture ahead and further contribute to the Lord of the Rings cinematic history."