LOS ANGELES – A fresh instalment in The Lord Of The Rings movie series, one of the biggest film franchises of all time, is scheduled to debut in theatres in 2026.

It is one of two new The Lord Of The Rings films announced by Warner Bros Discovery chief executive David Zaslav on May 9.

English actor Andy Serkis will reprise his role of Gollum and will direct the first of the two films, which has a working title of The Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum.

New Zealand film-maker Peter Jackson, who directed The Lord Of The Rings trilogy (2001 to 2003), followed by three The Hobbit movies (2012 to 2014), will serve as a producer of the new films.

The movies are based on books written by English writer J.R.R. Tolkien and set in the fictional land of Middle-earth inhabited by humans, elves, dwarves and hobbits.

The prior movies in the franchise have earned nearly US$6 billion (S$8.1 billion) combined at global box offices. The 2003 movie, The Return Of The King, won 11 Oscars, including for Best Picture and Best Director.

A previously announced animated The Lord Of The Rings film, called The War Of The Rohirrim, is set for release in theatres in December 2024. REUTERS