Summary
TheLord of the Ringsfranchise is growing rapidly, but I am concerned about what this will mean for the future. For years, we only had Peter Jackson’sLord of the RingsandThe Hobbitas modern movies, but that has quickly begun to change. Prime Video’sThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerstreamed its first season in 2022, and it wasn’t long after Warner Bros and New Line Cinema announced that they were working on a variety of other Middle-earth films.It seems to be a whole new age ofLord of the Ringsmovies, and as exciting as that is, I fear it could cause problems as well.
The ball will begin withThe Rings of Powerseason 2, which will begin streaming on Prime Video on August 17, 2025. From there, the animated movieThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimwill hit theaters on July 22, 2025, with a story following the legendary king of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand. Next will be the plannedThe Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which is Andy Serkis and Peter Jackson’s big return to the franchise. This isn’t the end, and moreLord of the Ringsadaptations have also been promised.
Every Upcoming Lord Of The Rings Movie & TV Show
The Lord of the Rings franchise has seen a resurgence in film and TV. Here is every project coming out of Middle-earth in the near future.
New Lord Of The Rings Movies Are Exciting, But There May Be Too Many At Once
The Market May Soon Be Oversaturated With Lord Of The Rings Adaptations
Though I know Tolkien wasn’t a fan of screen adaptations of his work, I have a deep appreciation for the role of movies and TV in the world of modern storytelling. A visual medium is a great way to ensure that a story stays relevant for generations, so I have always supported Midde-earth stories being brought to the screen (yes,evenThe Rings of Power). For this reason, I am thrilled to seeWar of the Rohirrim,Hunt for Gollum, and whatever else New Line Cinema cooks up. However, as I sit in anticipation,there is a nagging sense of anxiety that it is too much at one time.
The upcomingLord of the Ringsmovies are likely to be successful. EvenRings of Power, which has been at the center of heavy criticism, set records for Prime Video in the way of viewership. The animated format ofWar of the Rohirrimmay mean somewhat lower box office numbers than its franchise predecessors, but it is still sure to find its audience. Then there’sSerkis and Jackson’s return withHunt for Gollum—a shoo-in financial success. Given all the promise here,I can understand why these companies are taking advantage, but this reminds me too much of other franchises' big mistakes.
It seemed that audiences were simply getting tired of superheroes, and I’d hate for this to happen with Lord of the Rings.
My fear is thatLord of the Ringswill duplicate the “superhero fatigue” phenomenon. Marvel became the reigning champ of the theatrical world, with the superhero craze peaking in about 2021. It seemed for a time that a superhero movie could do no wrong, and Marvel certainly took advantage of this. New MCU movies and TV shows were being rapidly produced, whichunfortunately led to lower viewership and box office results. It seemed that audiences were simply getting tired of superheroes, and I’d hate for this to happen withLord of the Rings.
Lord Of The Rings Fatigue Could Cause Significant Damage To Tolkien’s Legacy
Tolkien’s Work Deserves To Be Handled With Slow & Careful Respect
Lord of the Ringsis one of the oldest fantasy franchises, and fans have been passionate about the stories of Middle-earth for decades. Stan Lee’s superhero characters have been around for a long time, butLord of the Ringshas been around even longer. It’s for this reason that my heart would be broken to see the public begin to lose interest in Middle-earth or, worse, to see Tolkien’s work of art become nothing more than a means for monetary gain.
It’s for this reason that my heart would be broken to see the public begin to lose interest in Middle-earth or, worse, to see Tolkien’s work of art become nothing more than a means for monetary gain.
Tolkien was vehemently against his works being adapted to the screen. In one of his letters, he famously stated that"the failure of poor films is often precisely in exaggeration, and in the intrusion of unwarranted matter owing to not perceiving where the core of the original lies.“I have always found that a good movie adaptation can avoid this, and I have defended the effort to bring Tolkien’s tales to the screen. However, if audiences get burned out onLord of the Ringsmovies because there are too many of them, the author will have been proven right, and his legacy will suffer.
The moral themes of Tolkien’sLord of the Ringsdiscourage rushed mass production for monetary gain, which makes the creation of too many film adaptations even more ironic.
There Must Be A Long Break After This Next Wave Of Lord Of The Rings Movies
I’m Excited For The Upcoming Lord Of The Rings Movies, But New Line Needs To Slow Down
I don’t believe thatRings of Power,War of the Rohirrim, andHunt For Gollumwill be enough to cause irreversible damage to theLord of the Ringsfranchise. However, the idea that there are more on the way gives me pause. I feel that New Line Cinema must proceed with extreme caution. After one more installment,it may be best to give audiences time to digest these new screen adaptations before diving in to make more. More importantly, moreLord of the Ringsmovies should only be made if they aim to bring the heart of Tolkien’s work to the screen. Monetary gain is almost always a slippery slope toward a disgraced movie franchise.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
