Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav recently announced the launch of a new Lord of the Rings franchise. The first movie in this series, titled The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, is set to hit theaters in 2026. The film will star and be directed by Andy Serkis, who portrayed Gollum in the original trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. Jackson and his wife Fran Walsh will produce and write the script for this new installment.
The original Lord of the Rings trilogy, released between 2001 and 2003, was a huge commercial success, earning nearly three billion dollars and winning several Oscars. However, Jackson’s later return to Tolkien’s world with the Hobbit trilogy was not as well-received, with critics highlighting the excessive use of CGI.
Additionally, Warner Bros. Discovery is planning to revive the Harry Potter franchise with a seven-season streaming series based on the original books. They are also working on bringing back another Superman movie and continuing with their other superhero franchises.
The trend of sequels and reboots in Hollywood has been ongoing for years, with multiple franchises being revitalized for new audiences. The author expresses skepticism about the direction of the film industry and the potential lack of originality in storytelling.
