Warner Bros claims to hold the rights to The Lord of the Rings as reported by Variety. The Zaentz Co. currently owns Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies, video games, merchandising live events, and theme parks. Warners Bros has held its long-term licenses with Tolkien’s famous trilogy since the 90s. The company is trying to maintain its rights, but Zaentz Co. gave hints  of potentially selling the franchise since purchasing it in the 70s.

The Lord of the Rings is a very successful franchise. Its cult following rivals Star Wars, so it’s looking like Warner Bros wants to retain its filming rights to the hit franchises. The legal battle to purchase The Lord of the Rings has yet to ensue, but updates will be reported as news comes out.

Tolkien’s estate is free to do business dealings on the side. Amazon’s highly anticipated Lord of the Rings TV series is separate from Warner Bros filming rights. Zaentz could not prevent Amazon from business dealings with Tolkien’s estate from selling its television rights to the studio, which allows them to produce eight episodes. Warner Bros recently announced The Lord of The Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, an anime adaption of the LOTR franchise scheduled for release in 2024.