A Peter Jackson Silmarillion Movie? And Other Tolkien Treasures

Treasures #027: May 2026

Hello all! Mae govannen!

In today’s newsletter I’m resurrecting my every-so-often roundup of recent Tolkien Treasures: Tolkien-related content that is in the news or I’m currently enjoying and want to share with you all.

In today’s issue:

• Peter Jackson and Warner Bros. Discussing Rights to The Silmarillion with the Tolkien Estate

• LEGO Minas Tirith!

• Rings of Power Season 3 has a 2026 premiere date

• The Hobbit crosses over with Magic: The Gathering this August

• A new open world Middle-earth RPG?

• New Lord of the Rings coins from the Royal Mint

Let's get right to it!

1. Peter Jackson Says He’s Been Talking to the Tolkien Estate About Licensing the Rights to The Silmarillion

Having wrung every possible drop of content and shareholder value from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Peter Jackson and Warner Bros. are turning their sights to other victims…er, I mean volumes, of Tolkien’s works. I jest, I jest…mostly. Let me explain.

In a recent interview with Deadline, Peter Jackson shared that he and Warner Bros. have been talking to the Tolkien Estate about the licensing the rights to The Silmarillion and that the younger members of the family are more open to the idea than Christopher Tolkien was. Christopher (in)famously said the Peter Jackson films “eviscerated the book by making it an action movie for young people aged 15 to 25” in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde in July 2012, so it’s not hard to see why he was so reticent to grant anyone rights to anything beyond The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

While the younger Tolkiens being more open to discussing the idea now that they are in charge (Christopher Tolkien passed away in 2020) is potentially a positive step overall, I am less than enthused about Peter Jackson being the one to be involved (in a major capacity, anyways) in bringing The Silmarillion to the big screen. The Silmarillion should be an eight (or more!) season prestige television show if it’s adapted anyways.

Let’s let someone with a fresh vision for Middle-earth have a go at it! Do we really need more of Jackson’s vision of Middle-earth, especially with The Hunt for Gollum and Shadow of the Past already in development? I, for one, say no.

2. LEGO Minas Tirith Coming June 4, 2026

It’s…it’s so beautiful 😭

This 8278 piece set will cost you a mere $650. A small price to pay for a kingly gift!

They even gave Denethor the tomatoes hahaha

PLUS it comes with a GROND set! (While supplies last). GROND!

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3. Rings of Power Season 4 Premiers 11.11.26

Credit: Prime Video

Hmm, 11.11…?

1 for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
     In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
1 Ring to rule them all, 
1 Ring to find them,
1 Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them
     In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

I enjoyed the first two seasons of the show (I reviewed each episode of the second season as it aired. You can find those reviews here: ROP S2 Episodes 1-7, ROP S2 Episode 8) and am looking forward to what’s to come in season 3! It may be time for a season 2 rewatch…

4. The Hobbit x Magic: The Gathering

This August, The Hobbit comes to Magic: The Gathering! While I’ve only played Magic digitally up to this point on Arena (only recently too, so I missed The Lord of the Rings set from 2023), I will most definitely venturing into playing paper as well with this set, which is (unsurprisingly) my most anticipated set of the year!

Here are some of the cards that have already been previewed: Smaug the Magnificent, Bilbo, Luckwearer, My Precious, and Thorin, Mountain King.

You can check out even more in the Magic: The Gathering | The Hobbit First Look.

5. New open world Middle-earth RPG Coming from Warhorse Games

The developer of the Kingdom Come: Deliverance games announced on their Twitter/X profile that they have an open world Middle-earth RPG in development. No dates or real details aside from that, but still an interesting development!

6. One Coin to Rule Them All

Seven for the Kingdom on the Isles of Britain—The Royal mint is partnering with Warner Bros. on a series of seven coins commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Peter Jackson films. The first is a 50p coin with the One Ring and the Eye of Sauron.

There we have it, friends: my recent Tolkien Treasures! Thanks for reading and caring. Namárië!

For Discussion:

Which of the above are you most excited about? Any you don’t like at all? And have you been enjoying anything lately that is Tolkien-related? Let me know in the comments!

📚 You can read more of my writing by reading my books! My latest is a collection of essays on The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and more of Tolkien’s works (and their adaptations). You can also find it and more of my books on Amazon or Gumroad

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