Middle-earth in motion pictures

J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–55), set in his fictional world of Middle-earth, have been the subject of numerous motion picture adaptations across film and television. Tolkien was skeptical of the prospects of an adaptation. The rights to adapt his works passed through the hands of several studios, having been briefly leased to Rembrandt Films before being sold perpetually to United Artists, who then passed them in part to Saul Zaentz who operated the rights under Middle-earth Enterprises. During this time, filmmakers who attempted to adapt Tolkien's works include William Snyder, Peter Shaffer, John Boorman, Ralph Bakshi, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro. Other filmmakers who were interested in an adaptation included Walt Disney, Al Brodax, Forrest J Ackerman, Samuel Gelfman, Denis O'Dell, and Heinz Edelmann. The first commercial adaptation of Tolkien's works was the Rankin/Bass animated television special The Hobbit (1977). The first theatrical adaptation was Ralph Bakshi's animated film The Lord of the Rings (1978). This was followed by the Rankin/Bass animated television film The Return of the King (1980). The first live-action adaptations were European television productions, mostly unlicensed, made in the 1970s and early 1990s. New Line Cinema produced the Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003) directed by Jackson, and later returned to produce his Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014). The New Line franchise has received a record 37 Academy Award nominations, winning 17, and a record three special awards. To prevent New Line from losing the film adaptation rights, an anime prequel film was put into production. Subtitled The War of the Rohirrim, it was released in 2024. After Middle-earth Enterprises was acquired by Embracer Group, a new deal was struck with New Line to make two new films. The first was given the working title The Hunt for Gollum and is scheduled for release in 2027. In 2017, Amazon Prime Video bought the right to make a television series, separate from the New Line films. Titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, the first season was released in 2022 and the second in 2024. Three more seasons are planned. Some well-received fan films based on Tolkien's novels have been made; The Hunt for Gollum and Born of Hope were both uploaded to YouTube in 2009.