The first of a new “batch” of Lord of the Rings movies will be released in 2026 – and Peter Jackson is involved “every step of the way”

Warner Bros. has announced they’re releasing a new Lord of the Rings film very soon. In an earnings call, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav confirmed a new batch of movies are in development with the first to be released in 2026.

Per Variety, the actual details of the film are still being worked out, but this will be the first major live-action film set in-universe since The Hobbit movies. The film will “explore storylines yet to be told” based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels, and will kick off a new batch of films. 

Most excitingly too for fans of The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson (who is the mastermind behind the previous movies) will be involved again. He and his writing partners, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, are on board as producers. According to Zaslav, they “will be involved every step of the way”.

“Lord of the Rings is one of the most successful and revered franchises in history and presents a significant opportunity for theatrical business,” Zaslav added of the news.

Other Lord of the Rings projects are in the making too. This includes an animated film called The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which is due out in December. Elsewhere, Prime Video has the rights to The Rings of Power, which is currently in production on its second season.

For more, check out our guides to how to watch The Lord of the Rings movies in order and our breakdown of The Lord of the Rings timeline. We’ve also got the lowdown on The Rings of Power season 2.