Warner Bros. Flexes ‘Lord of the Rings’ Muscle Amid Conflict Over Film Rights
variety.comCynthia Littleton Business EditorWarner Bros. has asserted that it still rules Middle-earth when it comes to film rights to “The Lord of the Rings.”The studio has publicly stated its control over film adaptations of J.R.R.
Tolkien’s classic fantasy trilogy amid rumblings in the industry that a clutch of “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” rights are being shopped by longtime owner, the Saul Zaentz Co.The Zaentz Co.
and Warner Bros. are in the middle of a private mediation process to help settle their differences about whether the studio has met its obligations to hold on to the license, according to multiple sources close to the situation.
Warner Bros.’ New Line Cinema took “LOTR” to new heights with the success of its Oscar-winning trilogy directed by Peter Jackson: “The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring” (2001), “The Two Towers” (2002) and “The Return of the King” (2003). “New Line Cinema has maintained the theatrical film rights, both live-action and animated, for over two decades now,” a Warner Bros.
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