Amazon Studios Boss Responds to Warner Bros.’ ‘Lord of the Rings’ Plans
Warner Bros. has announced plans to make more Lord of the Rings movies with newly acquired rights. Amazon Studio head has some words.
Twenty years after The Fellowship of the Ring debuted in theaters, Warner Bros. is planning to make more movies set in Tolkien’s world. They’ve acquired Middle-earth Enterprises and the rights to more of the author’s stories. The studio has picked up multiple awards and made nearly $6 billion at the worldwide box office with the franchise – of course, they want to make more.
One of them, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, is already in production. The animated feature will tell the tale of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. It’s set to premiere in theaters next year. It’ll be interesting to see what other stories they’ll choose to bring to the screen – and what formats they choose.
via Warner Bros.
Director Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is beloved by fans of the books and fantasy movies. The quality of any movie or show based on Tolkien’s work is judged by it now.
The announcement has earned the backing of the three that brought the trilogy to the screen – Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens. The trio released a statement regarding the plan to return to Middle-Earth.
“Warner Brothers and Embracer have kept us in the loop every step of the way. We look forward to speaking with them further to hear their vision for the franchise moving forward.
Amazon Studios Boss Responds
Amazon battled Netflix for the TV rights in 2017 and snagged a $250 million deal with a 5 season commitment from the studio. They shelled out a lot of money on top of that to produce the first season – an estimated $450 million. The first season was a success for the studio; it’s Amazon’s most-watched series to date.
Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke led that deal and the show’s first season. With Warner Bros. back in play, she is standing firmly behind The Rings of Power and its fan base, telling Variety:
“We’ll see. 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.”
via Amazon
What’s Next?
The rights held by both studios limit direct competition – Amazon is limited to TV, and WB is limited to movies. Even with that division, there are bound to be fan comparisons, as we see with Marvel and DC projects. Only time will tell if The Rings of Power can keep its momentum and if the WB projects will be as good as Jackson’s movies.
One thing is for sure: there will be more Tolkien adaptations for fans to enjoy – or hate. Depending.
