Warner Bros. CEOs Are Putting in Lots of Effort to Get Peter Jackson and Christopher Nolan Back to the Studio
Warner Bros. is in the process of developing a new slate of films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. These films will expand on the films that Peter Jackson made and will explore more of the Middle Earth universe.
The studio really wants Peter Jackson to jump back into the franchise and help them in their efforts, maybe even direct some of the new films. The studio has been in contact with him, and in a recent report it was revealed that WB CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy actually flew out to New Zealand “to reestablish the studio’s connection to the franchise’s original director.”
Traveling out there definitely shows that they are willing to put in the effort to get him back on board the fantasy franchise. In a previously released statement about the new Lord of the Rings projects, Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens said: “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.”
There’s still no word of if Jackson is officially signed on for anything, but if not, I imagine they are having an ongoing discussion with him to make it happen.
On top of that, they are trying to get Christopher Nolan back! Nolan ended up leaving the studio after they started releasing movies on HBO Max instead of in theaters. After he left, he landed at Universal Pictures where he made his most recent movie Oppenheimer.
According to the report, the studio wants “to mend fences with Nolan” as he is one of the studio’s most successful filmmakers. In regards to bringing Nolan back, De Luca said: “We’re hoping to get Nolan back. I think there’s a world.”
However, it’s not going to be easy to get him back from Universal Pictures. Inside sources at the studio say that “the director received a seven-figure royalty check from Warner Bros. within the past eight months. The payment was tied to his 2020 film Tenet.
A source says “De Luca, Abdy and Zaslav all agreed he was owed the bonus in good faith. No strings were attached, according to insiders, but the studio was partly motivated to repair that fractured relationship.” Nolan has since returned to the WB lot for the post-production work being done on Oppenheimer.
Jackson and Nolan are two amazingly talented filmmakers, and it makes sense that the studio wants them back! I do hope that Jackson comes back for the Lord of the Rings projects. As for Nolan, as long as he continues to direct movies, I don’t really care where he’s making them.
Source: Variety