Could Peter Jackson return to direct a new trilogy of Lord of the Rings films? That seems to be a possibility, as Variety has published a new feature that questions whether Warner Bros. can “restore its movie glory,” and in it, buried beneath some text, includes the confirmation that Pam Abdy, one of the studio chiefs, has visited Jackson in an attempt to “reestablish the studio’s connection to the franchise’s original director.” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav revealed that new Lord of the Rings movies were in development in February 2023, and while no filmmakers were attached to the project yet, Jackson did state that he was open to hearing what the studio was planning to do with them. Variety’s feature also reveals that Warner Bros. is trying to get Christopher Nolan back, who left in part for Universal over streaming disputes.
From a Variety feature:
Looking to field an entire team of Oscar winners and nominees, with a healthy dose of genre rock stars, [Michael ]De Luca and [Pam] Abdy recently secured overall deals with Baz Luhrmann, “The Batman” director Matt Reeves and M. Night Shyamalan (and greenlit his daughter Ishana’s directorial debut at New Line). They landed the next film from buzzy “Barbarian” director Zach Cregger in a brutal multi-studio auction. Abdy is actively pursuing Iñárritu, with whom she made two movies as production chief at New Regency. She and De Luca also brokered a pact to make new “Lord of the Rings” films, and visited Peter Jackson in New Zealand to reestablish the studio’s connection to the franchise’s original director.
“We’re hoping to get Nolan back,” De Luca says. “I think there’s a world.” Both executives concede that Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman Donna Langley is a force to be reckoned with, as she secured “Oppenheimer” after his public breakup with Warners. De Luca and Abdy remain hopeful. Two sources familiar with Nolan say that the director received a seven-figure royalty check from Warner Bros. within the past eight months. The payment was tied to his 2020 film “Tenet,” which the studio released. A source says De Luca, Abdy and Zaslav all agreed he was owed the bonus in good faith. No strings were attached, according to insiders, but the studio was partly motivated to repair that fractured relationship. In a sign that the healing has begun, Nolan has done post-production work on “Oppenheimer” on the Warners lot. (A rep for Nolan did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.)