The world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, Middle-earth, still stands as an amazing creation decades after it was first published. We saw both "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" books getting adaptations for the big screen, with a very positive reception.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy success was such that they earned a total of 17 oscars. The Hobbit didn't win any, but they do got various nominations.
But many fans have asked themselves at some point: Are there going to be any new movies of Tolkien's work? Or that's the end for Middle-earth on big screen? What is there left to show? Let's try to find out!
What has stopped Warner Bros from making a new Lord of the Rings movie?
Since 2012, Warner Bros and Tolkien heirs (most notably, Cristopher Tolkien) have been having a dispute over the franchise: Tolkien estate (legal representative of Tolkien's property) claimed that Warner Bros used the franchise beyond their rights, whereas Warner claims that the estate has costed them millions of dollars in license fees. After a five year lawsuit, both parties haven settled down their claims, and apparently they did so on good terms.
Can we excpect new movies in the future?
Although not impossible, it seems very unlikely that new films might be made; the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit plots are simpler when compared to other Tolkien's works, such as the Silmarillion. Also, it would prove hard to appeal to regular public since the story on the Silmarillion can get really complex.
What titles could we expect to see?
Undoubtedly, as mentioned earlier, the Silmarillion would be the most promising candidate for a new film. There has been many hoax showing the Silmarillion movie posters, but Tolkien estate has not yet expressed interest on doing such a project. Other works from Tolkien include "The Children of Hurin" (published on 2007) and "Beren and Luthien" (which was just published a couple of weeks ago). Just as the Silmarillion, they would need to find a way to appeal to not only Tolkien fans, but the general public as well.
We would not see any of the previous films characters.
The Silmarillion takes place well before the Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit films; it begins from the creation of the universe up to the Second Age of Arda (Earth), whereas the Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit take place on the Third Age. This means that we would not see any of the characters that we knew from the two trilogies. We might see Gandalf but in his past form and name (Olorin), not the physical way he is protraited on the films.
Final thoughts.
In the end, we can only wait for Wagner and Tolkien estate decision, and if the films did become a reality, they would still have the challenge of appealing to a new generation of viewers.
What do you think? Would you like to visit Middle-earth again? Or do you think the franchise reached its peak with The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films?
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