The Lord of the Rings: The War of the North, a video game recently re-released for current-generation consoles more than a decade after its original launch, could become the next major addition to Middle-earth on television, as Warner Bros. develops several Lord of the Rings projects alongside Amazon Prime Video's ongoing series.
The Rings of Power, Prime Video's series set thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, is due to release its third season this year, continuing the story of the War of the Elves and Sauron. That show, however, is only one of several Lord of the Rings productions currently in development at Warner Bros.
The Nazgûl, also known as the Ringwraiths, are among the most feared threats in J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Once nine kings of men corrupted by rings given to them by the dark lord Sauron, they serve as his most fearsome servants throughout the saga.
A franchise built mostly for the big screen
Unlike many franchises that have recently expanded into television, The Lord of the Rings has largely remained a cinema property. Tolkien's novels were adapted into Peter Jackson's blockbuster film trilogy in the early 2000s, followed by a further trilogy based on The Hobbit.
The Rings of Power stands out as one of Prime Video's most ambitious shows largely because Amazon holds the television rights to the franchise, while Warner Bros. controls the film rights. Even so, the franchise's history is not limited to a single format, and Warner Bros. could keep telling Middle-earth stories on television beyond The Rings of Power.
How a video game points to a new series
The franchise has already hinted at a story that could work as a television adaptation, though it surfaced in an unexpected place: video games. The War of the North was originally released in 2011, developed by Snowblind Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, before its recent relaunch on current-generation consoles.
Its events unfold at the same time as the original Lord of the Rings trilogy. Following a narrative structure similar to Tolkien's books, the story follows an elf, a dwarf and a human who set out to dismantle the armies of Agandaûr, a commander leading a campaign across the northern regions of Middle-earth on behalf of Sauron.
Some criticism of the game centred on its shallow storytelling, a shortcoming that a longer television series could address by giving the plot more room to develop.
A fit with Warner Bros.' current strategy
From a commercial standpoint, a series adaptation of The War of the North would align closely with the franchise's current direction. Warner Bros. has already announced several films set in the same timeline as the trilogy, making The War of the North a natural extension of that plan. The story is less well known than the main saga, but it would still add depth to the wider Middle-earth universe.
Part of a wider trend for game adaptations
A studio backing a series based on the game could also continue a broader trend, as video game adaptations have increasingly found success on television and streaming in recent years. Given the enduring popularity of The Lord of the Rings, one of entertainment's best-known properties, the moment may be right for a series centred on the War of the North.
It remains a distant possibility, with no series formally announced, but one that would likely draw significant interest from fans of Tolkien's world.
