WB Wants Peter Jackson Back For New LORD OF THE RINGS Movies and They Want to Build a STAR WARS-Like Franchise
With Warner Bros. and New Line looking to develop a series of new The Lord of the Rings films, fans of the original trilogy have been wondering if Peter Jackson will be involved with the building up of this next wave of Middle Earth movies.
Well, according to THR, the studio “hopes to woo back Peter Jackson for more installments.” So, they are making a valiant effort to lock him in with his writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. According to the report, “Jackson and Walsh were very frustrated that so many believed they were involved with Amazon’s show, and are now engaging with Warners/New Line, curious as to how they’ll be stewards of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legacy.”
It’s also said that the studio is looking to “turn LOTR into a Star Wars-like franchise.” While I love these Middle Earth stories, I don’t want to see an oversaturation of Middle Earth movies. I want to see them take their time developing these films and make sure they tell great, epic, visually stunning stories. Maybe James Cameron’s Avatar model would work better for these LOTR movies.
Amazon Studios was in talks with Jackson at one point for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, but the studio never followed through with it. He previously explained that they never sent him any scripts to look over, which he was expecting. They ghosted him.
In a previously released statement about the new Lord of the Rings projects, Jackson, Walsh, and 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.”
It was previously explained that the “incomparable world of J.R.R. Tolkien back is coming back to the big screen in new and exciting ways. We understand how cherished these works are, and working together with our partners at New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures, we plan to honor the past, look to the future, and adhere to the strongest level of quality and production values.”
It was also explained, "For all the scope and detail lovingly packed into the two trilogies, the vast, complex and dazzling universe dreamed up by J.R.R. Tolkien remains largely unexplored." These new films will explore more of the Middle Earth universe, which is sure to be fascinating.
I hope that Jackson and the studio end up partnering up for these projects! While fans loved the original LOTR’s trilogy, many didn’t care for The Hobbit trilogy. There’s a reason for that, and I don’t think that Jackson and his team would make those mistakes again. So, I’m confident that if Jackson jump back into the franchise, he would do some amazing things!