Warner Bros. is making its official return to Middle-earth. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said Thursday that the company has just entered very early script development on a new batch of Lord of the Rings movies that will debut in 2026, unlocking new storylines.

Andy Serkis will direct and star in the first of those, tentatively titled Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Zaslav previously mentioned that Peter Jackson, along with his longtime partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, will also play a significant role in the deal. Boyens and Walsh will pen the script; it's something of a major reunion for the group.

The trio Jackson, Boyens, and Walsh are very excited about the project, together with Serkis, who is returning with this much-loved character, Gollum. Serkis also seemed to be thrilled about his collaboration with Warner Bros. and the team in New Zealand.

Zaslav lauded the value of the Lord of the Rings franchise and its potential for Warner Bros.' theatrical business. It follows an earlier commitment from Warner Bros. to develop new theatrical films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's original writings, in collaboration with Embracer Group AB.

That Jackson, Boyens, and Walsh are on board will instill much confidence among fans, which is rather important at the moment, not to mention that Amazon is also, coincidentally, working on a Lord of the Rings TV series. The new films aim to continue Tolkien's legacy while also introducing new stories to people around the world.