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By Kayla DeKraker
Another LORD OF THE RINGS movie might be in the works.
NME revealed that Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson, Warner Bros. and the Tolkien Estate are in discussions about possibly adapting The Silmarillion, the vast mythological work by J.R.R. Tolkien that tells the ancient history of Middle-earth, long before the events of The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings.
Previously, Jackson said that expanding Tolkien’s stories did not seem possible, but lately discussions have been changing.
“Christopher Tolkien edited and published other (J.R.R. Tolkien) books – The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales – I mean there’s a lot more Tolkien writing that would actually make great movies that were subsequently edited and released by Christopher,” he said. “But he just absolutely not…those rights have never been available.”
He explained, “Christopher passed away recently, well, I suppose two or three years ago now, and the younger Tolkiens, this next generation, are now running the estate. They’re much more open to talking, so a combination of Warners and us have been talking to some of the younger Tolkien members who are now part of the board, about the possibility of actually licensing the rights to some of the other books. It would be nice to get away from the appendices and get something a bit more meaty.”
While Tolkien fans will have to wait to see if a Silmarillion adaptation happens, plenty of other LOTR content is on the way.
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LORD OF THE RINGS: THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM is set to release in 2027. Andy Serkis directs and also reprises his role as Gollum.
“It’s been a tightrope for all. I mean, the entire LORD OF THE RINGS team who worked on the originals are reassembled, for a start,” he told ScreenRant in April of working on the movie.
He added, “It is grounded in the lore and the world and the vision of Peter Jackson’s trilogy and THE HOBBIT trilogy. So it will feel like a proper Middle-earth film, there’s no question, but there is a much more internal psychological investigation into one of Tolkien’s most complex characters.”
Amazon also acquired television rights from the Tolkien Estate starting in 2017. Since then, three successful seasons of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER have aired, with a fourth season in the works.
The Hollywood Reporter said, “The Amazon MGM Studios-produced series has attracted over 185 million viewers worldwide and ‘is one of the highest performing and most-viewed titles ever on Prime Video.’ The first season marked the largest launch of any Prime Video series ever. The second season also performed well, debuting atop Nielsen’s Streaming Top 10 chart in 2024.”
Meanwhile, Stephen Colbert is penning another Tolkien-inspired movie, with the working title LORD OF THE RINGS: SHADOW OF THE PAST.
“Fourteen years after the passing of Frodo – Sam, Merry, and Pippin set out to retrace the first steps of their adventure. Meanwhile, Sam’s daughter, Elanor, has discovered a long-buried secret and is determined to uncover why the War of the Ring was very nearly lost before it even began,” a description reads.
While a Silmarillion-inspired adaptation would be an interesting addition to the LOTR movie universe, fans still have several exciting projects to look forward to.
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