Rights To ‘The Lord Of The Rings’ Franchise Sold
Embracer Group is on a buying spree recently, and it seems they've made The Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit the next part of their portfolio. With the upcoming series The Rings Of Power on its way to Amazon’s Prime Video, many were left wondering what the acquisition could mean for the future of the show. Luckily, it won't actually have any effect on the production or release of the show.
The Rings Of Power is part of a new approach to Tolkien’s work. Rather than adapting a large tome of Middle-Earth lore, it decides to adapt the appendices to The Lord Of The Rings. That means it’s a fresh new story (at least for the screen), that may or may not actually include characters from the franchise we've come to know and love.
Embracer Group hasn’t really shared a ton of details about new projects that will come out of the acquisition, but they do plan on merchandising the rights. They're also planning on creating a number of multimedia projects based around the IP. That means we could have movies, TV shows, and video games on the way. There are a wealth of characters and untold stories still untapped in the works of Tolkien, and they deserve to be more well-known.
Embracer Group didn’t actually disclose how much they acquired the rights for, but estimates are high. According to a recent press release, they're excited to create more pieces of art set in Middle-Earth. They said:
Key upcoming works set in Middle-earth, in which Middle-earth Enterprises has financial interests, include the much-heralded Amazon series The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power which will premiere on September 2, 2022, set thousands of years before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings; the animated movie The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (Warner Bros), set for release in 2024, and the mobile game The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth (Electronic Arts).
According to the press release, other opportunities include exploring additional movies based on iconic characters such as Gandalf, Aragorn, Gollum, Galadriel, Eowyn and other characters from the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and continue to provide new opportunities for fans to explore this fictive world through merchandising and other experiences.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings Of Power will hit Amazon Prime on September 2.