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Licensing

From Tolkien Gateway
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Licensees infographic by Tim Bolton (2023)

This is the timeline of the history of the adaptations, in copyright level, generally, of works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and specifically, of two of his books, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings:

History

  • 1936
  • 1958
    • J.R.R. Tolkien and Rayner Unwin agree to grant American businessmen, Forrest J. Ackerman and Morton Grady Zimmerman an option on the film rights to The Lord of the Rings for six months to allow an agreeable script to be developed. A script was not agreed upon and the option expired in early 1959.[2]
  • 1962
  • 1967
    • In a last minute attempt to avoid Snyder's licensing rights to expire, The Hobbit short film is released.
  • 1969
    • United Artists acquires the film, television, stage, and merchandising rights to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings from author J.R.R. Tolkien, who retains book publishing rights, as well as television rights.[4][5]
  • 1976
    • The Saul Zaentz Production Company acquires film and other rights for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings from United Artists.[4]
  • 1977
  • 1978
  • 1980
  • 1981
    • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) acquires United Artists and through this way it obtains distribution rights to film adaptations of The Hobbit.[6]
  • 1982
  • 1986
    • George Allen & Unwin merge with Bell & Hyman in to form Unwin Hyman.[7]
  • 1987
    • Mithril Miniatures is founded, creating licensed metal miniature figures inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.[8]
  • 1990
  • 1997
    • The Saul Zaentz Company options their film rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to Miramax Films.
  • 1998
    • New Line Cinema purchases the film options for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit from Miramax.[4]
  • 2000
  • 2001
  • 2002
  • 2003
  • 2004
    • Electronic Arts releases The Battle for Middle-earth, a real time strategy game under a joint license with New Line Cinema and Tolkien Enterprises.
  • 2005
    • Tolkien Enterprises enters a renewed era of licensing with the worldwide popularity of the Peter Jackson films. New Line and its parent company, Warner Brothers, release a flood of merchandise based upon film assets, under license from Tolkien Enterprises, which enters into new license agreements for merchandise based exclusively upon the Tolkien literary property, including for board games, videogames, jewelry, figurines and other collectibles.[4]
  • 2006
  • 2007
    • 27 March - Electronic Arts extends its publishing license for video games with New Line and Tolkien Enterprises.[9]
    • Turbine releases an MMO videogame based on the literary property only, The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) under license from Tolkien Enterprises.[4]
    • 18 December - New Line and MGM announce the development of a two-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.[10]
  • 2008
  • 2009
    • January - Electronic Arts' publishing licence for video games based on The Lord of the Rings expires, returns to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.[13][14]
    • 13 January - The Lord of the Rings: Conquest is released.[15]
    • 28 May - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces a long-term partnership with The Saul Zaentz Company and New Line Productions, Inc. for literary and film rights to develop and publish games based on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest is announced, developed by TT Fusion and Headstrong Games.[16]
  • 2010
  • 2011
    • 30 May - New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM announces the titles of Peter Jackson's two-film adaptation of The Hobbit. The first film is titled The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and the second film is titled The Hobbit: There and Back Again.[20]
    • 1 November - The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is released.[21]
  • 2012
    • 30 July - New Line, MGM and Warner Bros. Pictures announce that Peter Jackson's two-film adaptation of The Hobbit will now become a trilogy.[22]
    • 31 August - New Line, MGM and Warner Bros. announce the second film of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy to be retitled as The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The third film is titled The Hobbit: There and Back Again.[23][24]
    • 4 December - Guardians of Middle-earth, developed by Monolith Productions is released.[25]
    • 28 November - Premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.[26]
  • 2013
    • 12 November - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. A new game set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, developed by Monolith Productions.[27]
    • 25 November - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games and The LEGO Group announces LEGO The Hobbit, based on the first two films of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit Trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.[28]
    • 2 December - Premiere of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.[29]
  • 2014
    • 8 April - LEGO The Hobbit is released.[30]
    • 24 April - Warner Bros Pictures, MGM and New Line Cinema announce that the title of the third film of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy to be renamed as The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.[31]
    • 30 September - Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is released[32]
    • 1 December - Premiere of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.[33]
  • 2016
  • 2017
    • 27 February - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developer Monolith Productions announces Middle-earth: Shadow of War, a sequel to Shadow of Mordor.[34]
    • 10 October - Middle-earth: Shadow of War is released.[35]
    • 13 November - Amazon purchases global television rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit from Tolkien Estate and announces the production of a series through a partnership with the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Trust, HarperCollins, and New Line Cinema. This includes multiple seasons and potential spinoff series.[36]
  • 2019
  • 2020
  • 2021
  • 2022
    • 9 Feb - The Saul Zaentz Company puts their Tolkien property up for sale. These include rights to motion pictures, video games, merchandising, theme parks and stage productions based on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.[44]
    • 17 May - Amazon acquires MGM for $8.5 billion, which includes distribution rights to The Hobbit.[45]
    • 18 August - Embracer Group acquires Middle-earth Enterprises from The Saul Zaentz Company.[46]
    • The first season of the first licenced television series, The Rings of Power, is released.
  • 2023
    • 23 February - Embracer Group, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures forge a multi-year agreement to collaborate on features based on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.[47]
    • 2 March - The Watermill Theatre announces The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale, a musical stage adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. In association with Kevin Wallace for KWL (Kevin Wallace Limited) and Middle-earth Enterprises.[48][49]
    • 10 May - The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth, a turn-based RPG published by Electronic Arts and developed by Capital Games is released.[50]
    • 15 May - Amazon Games reaches an agreement with Embracer Group to develop and publish a new massively multiplayer online (MMO) game based on The Lord of the Rings.[51]
    • 25 May - The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is released.[52]
    • 8 June - The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, a survival crafting video game set in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth is announced. Developed by Free Range Games and published by North Beach Games.[53]
    • 23 June - The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth is released.[54]
    • 25 July - Premiere of The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale.[49]
    • 21 September - Tales of the Shire is announced, developed by Wētā Workshop and published by Private Division.[55]
    • 24 October - The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is released.[56]
  • 2024
    • 9 May - Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema announces two new feature films from Tolkien's Middle-earth. The first film is The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (working title).[57]
    • 24 May - The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth discontinues development.[58][59]
    • 13 December - Premiere of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.[60]
  • 2025
    • 29 July - Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game is released.[61]
  • 2026
    • 24 March - Warner Bros. announce the development of The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past, the next film after The Hunt for Gollum.[62]
    • 20 May - Warhorse Studios announces the development of an open-world Middle-earth RPG.[63]
    • 14 August - Magic: The Gathering | The Hobbit is released.[64]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond, “chapter=I. Chronology,” in The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide (2006)
  2. ↑ Todd Jensen, "The Zimmerman Film Treatment of The Lord of the Rings", Beyond Bree, December 1995
  3. ↑ Rayner Unwin, George Allen & Unwin: A Remembrancer (1999), p. 109
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 "Middle-earth Timeline". Middle-earth Enterprises. Retrieved 6 August 2022
  5. ↑ "Tolkien Rights and the Amazon Television Deal – some insight". TheOneRing.net. Retrieved 24 October 2022
  6. ↑ "M-G-M IS REPORTED PURCHASING UNITED ARTISTS FOR $350 MILLION". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 October 2022
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Firms out of Business". Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas. Retrieved 7 August 2022
  8. ↑ https://mithril.ie/about-us/. Mithril Miniatures. Retrieved 2 July 2023
  9. ↑ Ben Fritz (27 March 2007). "Electronic Arts circles 'Rings'". Variety. Retrieved 9 July 2023
  10. ↑ Michael Fleming (18 December 2007). "'Hobbit' back on track as twin bill". Variety. Retrieved 6 August 2023
  11. ↑ "It's Official - New Line Cinema is Dead!". FIRSTSHOWING.NET. Retrieved 28 February 2008
  12. ↑ Chris Remo (8 May 2008). "Pandemic's Lord Of The Rings: Conquest Announced". Game Developer. Retrieved 2 July 2023
  13. ↑ Michael McWhertor (12 March 2009). "Lord of the Rings License Leaves EA, Journeys Back To WB". Kotaku. Retrieved 3 October 2022
  14. ↑ Ben Fritz (12 March 2009). "Lord of the Rings game rights now at Warner Bros.". Variety. Retrieved 9 July 2023
  15. ↑ "The Powers of Good and Evil Collide as The Lord of the Rings: Conquest Raids Retailers Worldwide". Electronic Arts. Retrieved 2 July 2023
  16. ↑ "Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Announces A Game Franchise Based On “The Lord Of The Rings” Literary And Film Library And First Franchise Title “The Lord Of The Rings: Aragorn’s Quest”". WarnerBros. Retrieved 9 July 2023
  17. ↑ "Turbine purchased by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment". Engadget. Retrieved 26 November 2022
  18. ↑ "Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Announces “The Lord Of The Rings: War In The North” For Xbox 360™, Playstation®3 And Windows™ PC". WarnerBros. Retrieved 18 June 2023
  19. ↑ https://www.nintendolife.com/games/wii/lord_of_the_rings_aragorns_quest. Nintendolife. Retrieved 9 July 2023
  20. ↑ "“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” And “The Hobbit: There And Back Again” Are Announced As Titles Of Peter Jackson’s Epic Two-Film Adaptation Of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Timeless Classic The Hobbit". WarnerBros. Retrieved 6 August 2023
  21. ↑ Eddie Makuch (2 August 2011). "LOTR: War in the North begins November 1". GameSpot. Retrieved 18 June 2023
  22. ↑ "Peter Jackson’s Long-Awaited Filmed Adaptation of "The Hobbit" to be a Trilogy". WarnerBros. Retrieved 6 August 2023
  23. ↑ Pamela McClintock (31 August 2012). "Third ‘Hobbit’ Film Sets Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 August 2023
  24. ↑ Dave McNary (31 August 2012). "WB to release third ‘Hobbit’ July 28, 2014". Variety. Retrieved 6 August 2023
  25. ↑ "Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Launches “Guardians of Middle-earth” MOBA Game Exclusively for Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStationNetwork". Warnerbros. Retrieved 11 June 2023
  26. ↑ Pip Bulbeck (6 June 2012). "New Zealanders to See ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ on Nov. 28". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 August 2023
  27. ↑ Matt Miller (12 November 2013). "December Cover – Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor". Gameinformer. Retrieved 7 May 2023
  28. ↑ "Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games and The LEGO Group Set Off on a New Journey to Create “LEGO The Hobbit”". WarnerBros. Retrieved 22 July 2023
  29. ↑ Borys Kit (3 December 2013). "Inside ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’ Premiere: Middle Earth Comes to Hollywood". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 August 2023
  30. ↑ Warner Bros. Games (8 April 2014). "LEGO The Hobbit Official Launch Trailer". YouTube. Retrieved 22 July 2023
  31. ↑ "Final Film in Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” Trilogy to be Titled “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”". WarnerBros. Retrieved 6 August 2023
  32. ↑ Sinan Kubba (25 July 2014). "One does not simply move up the Shadow of Mordor release date (but WB did)". Engadget. Retrieved 7 May 2023
  33. ↑ "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies world premiere". BBC News. Retrieved 6 August 2023
  34. ↑ Matthew Kato (27 February 2017). "Middle-earth: Shadow of War The First Trailer & Details For Middle-earth: Shadow Of War". Gameinformer. Retrieved 7 May 2023
  35. ↑ Tom Phillips (2 June 2017). "Middle-earth: Shadow of War release date delayed". Eurogamer. Retrieved 7 May 2023
  36. ↑ "Amazon Sets ‘The Lord of the Rings’ TV Series In Mega Deal With Multi-Season Commitment". Deadline. Retrieved 7 August 2022
  37. ↑ Patrick Shanley (25 March 2019). "‘Lord of the Rings: Gollum’ Video Game in the Works From German Studio Daedalic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 May 2023
  38. ↑ "NetEase and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Collaborate to Develop New Mobile Game, The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War". NetEaseGames. Retrieved 11 June 2023
  39. ↑ Adam B. Vary (10 June 2021). "‘Lord of the Rings’ Anime Feature Fast-Tracked by New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation". Variety. Retrieved 23 April 2023
  40. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (24 August 2021). "ON THE LORD OF THE RINGS: TALES OF MIDDLE-EARTH™ FORMAT LEGALITY". Magic: The Gathering. Retrieved 31 May 2023
  41. ↑ Adam Styborski (24 August 2021). "WHAT HAPPENED IN MAGIC SHOWCASE 2021?". Magic: The Gathering. Retrieved 31 May 2023
  42. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (29 May 2023). "CREATING THE LOOK OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS: TALES OF MIDDLE-EARTH™". Magic: The Gathering. Retrieved 31 May 2023
  43. ↑ "The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War™ Officially Releases Worldwide on Sept. 23". The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War. Retrieved 11 June 2023
  44. ↑ Cynthia Littleton (9 February 2022). "‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ Film and Gaming Rights Up for Sale (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 14 August 2024
  45. ↑ Jennifer Maas (17 May 2022). "Amazon Closes $8.5 Billion Acquisition of MGM". Variety. Retrieved 6 August 2022
  46. ↑ "EMBRACER GROUP ENTERS INTO AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE IP RIGHTS TO THE LORD OF THE RINGS AND THE HOBBIT LITERARY WORKS BY J.R.R TOLKIEN". Embracer. Retrieved 18 August 2022
  47. ↑ "Middle-Earth Enterprises and New Line Cinema Partner To Explore the Cinematic Universe of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit”". WarnerBros. Retrieved 10 May 2024
  48. ↑ Baz Bamigboye (2 March 2023). "‘Lord Of The Rings’ Musical Co-Created By ‘Matilda’ Director Matthew Warchus Headed For Immersive Open-Air Performance In UK". Deadline. Retrieved 11 July 2023
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 https://www.watermill.org.uk/the-lord-of-the-rings. Watermill. Retrieved 11 July 2023
  50. ↑ The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth (10 May 2023). "The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth World Wide Launch Trailer". YouTube. Retrieved 15 May 2023
  51. ↑ "Amazon Games and Embracer Group’s Middle-earth Enterprises strike deal for new 'The Lord of the Rings' Game". AmazonGames. Retrieved 10 May 2024
  52. ↑ Nacon (25 May 2023). "The Lord of the Rings: Gollum™ Launch Trailer". YouTube. Retrieved 25 May 2023
  53. ↑ The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria™ (10 June 2023). "The Lord of the Rings™: Return to Moria™ - Official Announcement Trailer 4K". YouTube. Retrieved 2 August 2023
  54. ↑ Adam Styborski, Clayton Kroh (14 March 2023). "A FIRST LOOK AT THE LORD OF THE RINGS: TALES OF MIDDLE-EARTH™". Magic: The Gathering. Retrieved 3 June 2023
  55. ↑ Private Division (21 September 2023). "Tales of the Shire - Official Teaser". YouTube. Retrieved 24 September 2023
  56. ↑ "Embark on a New Adventure to Reclaim the Lost Kingdom of Khazad-dûm in The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria™, Available Now on PC". Return to Moria. Retrieved 28 October 2023
  57. ↑ "WARNER BROS. PICTURES AND NEW LINE CINEMA ARE SET TO REUNITE WITH THE OSCAR WINNING "THE LORD OF THE RINGS" AND "THE HOBBIT" TEAM PETER JACKSON, FRAN WALSH, AND PHILIPPA BOYENS FOR TWO NEW FEATURE FILMS FROM J. R. R. TOLKIEN’S MIDDLE-EARTH". Warner Bros. Discovery. Retrieved 14 August 2024
  58. ↑ Laura Miele (28 February 2023). "A note from Laura Miele, President of EA Entertainment and Technology". EA. Retrieved 5 March 2024
  59. ↑ "An Important Update". EA. Retrieved 5 March 2024
  60. ↑ Ryan Gajewski (11 June 2024). "Andy Serkis Brings ‘Lord of the Rings’ Anime Movie’s First Footage to Annecy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 August 2024
  61. ↑ Anna Washenko (20 February 2025). "Cozy Lord of the Rings game Tales of the Shire is delayed to July". Engadget. Retrieved 20 July 2025
  62. ↑ Jack Dunn (24 March 2026). "New ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movie From Stephen Colbert and His Son in Development at Warner Bros.". Variety. Retrieved 25 March 2026
  63. ↑ "You might have heard the rumours, it's time to reveal what we are working on. 🗺️ An open world Middle-earth RPG. ⚔️ A new Kingdom Come adventure. We’re excited to tell you more when the time is right.". X (formerly known as Twitter). Retrieved 28 June 2026
  64. ↑ Mike Turian, Jubilee Finnegan (1 May 2026). "Collecting Magic: The Gathering®". Magic: The Gathering. Retrieved 28 June 2026
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