Warner Bros. will release the first of its new Lord of the Rings films in 2026.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced the news during an earnings call Thursday.
The new film is in the early stages of script development and will "explore storylines yet to be told," Zaslav added.
Peter Jackson, who directed the original Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit movies, and his writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are producing the movie and "will be involved every step of the way," according to Zaslav.
"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.
Warner Bros. confirmed in February 2023 that it is developing "multiple" films based on the Lord of the Rings fantasy book series by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The original film trilogy included The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2000), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin and Cate Blanchett.
Tolkien's writings were also adapted as the Amazon series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which was renewed for Season 2 in November 2019 ahead of its premiere on Prime Video.