Another cinematic universe is being forged as The Lord of the Rings hopes to become a massive franchise capable of mimicking the success of the Star Wars universe. Focusing on the many stories of J R. R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, The Lord of the Rings has already had multiple spin-offs, including The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power. While Frodo and Sam may be done telling their stories, it appears the world still has the space to grow.
It was already announced that the original studio is creating new The Lord of the Rings movies, hoping to recapture the first trilogy's magic. Warner Bros. and Amazon now emphasize their desire to create a universe that can rival Star Wars. An anonymous industry insider confirmed those intentions to The Hollywood Reporter.
What Could LOTR's New Movies Be About?
Considering the available stories in the gigantic world that Tolkien created, it shouldn't be too difficult to develop ideas for new The Lord of the Rings movies. Movies stretching across the whole of Middle Earth and its vast timeline are on the table for these potential expansion films. With Amazon committed to The Rings of Power, one piece of the timeline may be unavailable, but there are still many more to explore.
The easiest opportunity would be to remake The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies. This could be done either as a true remake or by changing perspectives to Gandalf, the elves, or even Gollum. The movies can also explore Aragorn's life before his introduction to the Fellowship, which could add insight into the Middle Earth world and the destined king's journey.
The franchise can also develop new stories that can grow beyond Tolkien's books. With much of Tolkien's work already told and The Rings of Power mining from The Silmarillion, creating a new sandbox of stories could help expand The Lord of the Rings landscape for years to come. Regardless, if Warner Bros. Discovery and Amazon really do want to create a Star Wars-like The Lord of the Rings universe, they will need to build it very carefully.
Source: THR