Lord Of The Rings is coming alive again; First new LOTR movie to be released in 2026

In that year, 'The Return Of The King', the final installment of the LOTR series, clinched 11 Oscars, bringing the trilogy's total to 16 awards, tying with 'Ben Hur' and 'Titanic' for the most Oscars in history.

After nearly 20 years after the completion of the epic Lord of The Rings saga, Warner Bros.’ CEO David Zaslav has confirmed that new LOTR movies are reportedly in development, also adding that they “anticipate releasing in 2026” and will “explore storylines yet to be told.”

The latest addition to the highly acclaimed fantasy trilogy will be titled “Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” (working title), with the voice actor of Gollum, Andy Serkis set to star and direct the upcoming feature.

“It is an honor and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that stinker — Gollum!,” Jackson, Boyens and Walsh said in a statement. “As life long fans of Professor Tolkien’s vast mythology, we are proud to be working with [WBD film chiefs] Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy and the entire team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!”

The Oscar winning trilogy’s new films’ screenplay will be written by Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens with Peter Jackson, the original director of the franchise being “involved every step of the way.” The three have worked together on the ‘The Hobbit’ and the ‘LOTR’ epics. The new deal will cover two live action films.

Its the first official update received since last year when David Zaslav first announced them last year and teased Jackson’s involvement. “Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful and revered franchises in history and presents a significant opportunity for our theatrical business,” Zaslav said.

The whopping $6 billion franchise which includes ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord Of The Rings’, has cemented itself as one of the biggest and most successful movie sagas of our time making into the top 20 highest grossing franchises. The third entry of the LOTR, ‘The Return Of The King’ bagged 11 Oscars that year, totaling to 16 of the three films. It also tied ‘Ben Hur’ and ‘Titanic’ as the most in history.

The original trilogy which will be returning to theatres this summer with remastered and extended versions will sadly not be hitting the Indian theatres.