The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC) has welcomed the prospect of more Middle-earth adventures in the country, describing the announcement of two potential Lord of the Rings prequels as “incredible news”.
Last week Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav revealed two new films based on J.R.R Tolkien’s series would be released in 2026, the first of which has the working title of Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
To be directed by and star Andy Serkis, the film will be written by Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, alongside Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou, with Ken Kamins executive producing with Serkis and The Imaginarium’s Jonathan Cavendish.
Peter Jackson, director of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies, is reportedly set to produce with Walsh and Boyens.
While no further project details are available, NZFC CEO Annie Murray said those involved in the New Zealand industry either directly or peripherally would be waiting “with bated breath” to hear more.
“The announcement today that Middle-earth may be returning to New Zealand, in the safe hands of Sir Peter Jackson, Dame Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens is incredible news,” she said.
“The impact the original film series had on Aotearoa and the screen industry is significant and enduring.”
The Lord of the Rings trilogy employed thousands of cast and crew over a period of five years from 1999-2004, receiving 17 Academy Awards and nearly $3 billion in worldwide box office revenue.
Tourism New Zealand reported an increase in inbound tourism, worth NZD$33 million a year after the series had been released, with one in five tourists now citing the series as one of the main reasons for visiting the country.
Weta Digital, primarily responsible for visual effects, pioneered new technologies in special effects and software systems that significantly advanced the use of motion capture to animate digital characters. Physical effects company Weta Workshop, under the guardianship of Richard Taylor, produced over 48,000 separate items for the trilogy. The company now boasts a staff of 400 and produce everything from movie props to museum exhibits, consumer products, video gaming, sculptures, and collectibles.
The country has since been home to production of Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy in 2012, as well as the first season of Amazon Studios fantasy series Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, which relocated to the UK for its second season.