New 'Lord of the Rings' films in development at Warner Bros.

Feb. 24 (UPI) -- New Lord of the Rings films are in the works at Warner Bros.

The studio has confirmed that it is developing "multiple" films based on the Lord of the Rings fantasy book series by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav shared the news during an earnings call Thursday.

Warner Bros. has signed a multiyear deal with Swedish media company Embracer Group to produce the films, with New Line Cinema to develop the projects.

Tolkien's Lord of the Rings was previously adapted as a film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson and produced by New Line Cinema in the 2000s. Tolkien's The Hobbit was later adapted as a film trilogy in the 2010s.

"Twenty years ago, New Line took an unprecedented leap of faith to realize the incredible stories, characters and world of The Lord of the Rings on the big screen. The result was a landmark series of films that have been embraced by generations of fans," Warner Bros. Pictures execs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy said in a statement. "But for all the scope and detail lovingly packed into the two trilogies, the vast, complex and dazzling universe dreamed up by J.R.R. Tolkien remains largely unexplored on film. The opportunity to invite fans deeper into the cinematic world of Middle-earth is an honor, and we are excited to partner with Middle-earth Enterprises and Embracer on this adventure."

Warner Bros. has yet to announce filmmakers for the new projects, although Jackson and his Lord of the Rings collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens told Variety that Warner Bros. and Embracer have kept them "in the loop every step of the way."

The original Lord of the Rings films starred Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin and Cate Blanchett.

Tolkien's writings were also recently adapted as the Amazon series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which premiered on Prime Video in September.