Pack your bags and get ready to go on another adventure because it’s time to return to Middle-earth! In an earnings call on Thursday, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that they are “revamping” the Lord of the Rings film franchise based J. R. R. Tolkien’s iconic books, and while there’s no word on how many films will be produced and no directors are attached to the deal, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav did state that the films will be developed through the WB label New Line Cinema.
Peter Jackson, the director of the original $3 billion trilogy of Lord of the Rings, along with his writing partners, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, have not confirmed their involvement in the new projects, but they did give a statement to Deadline saying that Warner Bros. and LOTR rights-holder Embracer “kept [them] in the loop every step of the way” and they “look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward.” This is extremely encouraging newsm as the trio didn’t have any involvement in the new Amazon Studios series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and the show, while still having a lot of good moments, does lack the distinct charm of the original movies.
Jackson’s original LOTR movies are incredibly beloved by fans and are seen as the ultimate comfort movies. Starring Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, and a whole bunch of other A-list actors, the films follow a hobbit named Frodo and his fellowship of friends as they travel across Middle-earth to destroy the powerful One Ring and save the land from the Dark Lord Sauron.
They get into a lot of chaotic situations along the way, including running into distrustful elves, fighting orcs, and trying to evade a hobbit-turned-horrifying-creature who wants nothing but to take the ring for himself. The franchise was nominated for 30 Academy Awards across all three films and took home 17 of them, and spawned a followup trilogy based on The Hobbit, which matched the original films’ gross profits.
It’s safe to say that these movies are incredibly beloved and not something to be messed with, much like Stars Wars or the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So, it’s not surprising that, upon hearing the news of this reboot, fans were not having any of it.
While I’m not a diehard fan of LOTR, I do know what it feels like when my favorite shows/movies are rebooted in “new and exciting” ways. And, to give credit where it’s due, sometimes it does work! For instance, I absolutely adore the 1990 It movie starring Tim Curry, but the 2017 reboot is also incredible. It really enhances the story and makes Pennywise even scarier, which I didn’t think was possible! However, I get the apprehension due to reboots having such a bad reputation. (Don’t get me started on 2021’s Gossip Girl. Ugh.)
All I can say is good luck to the director and writing team that decides to take on this treacherous endeavor. You’re gonna need it!
(via Variety, featured image: New Line Cinema)
