Treasures #027: May 2026
Of Silmarillion Movie(s), Rings of Power Season 3, LEGO Minas Tirith, and more!
Hello all! Mae govannen!
In todayās newsletter Iām resurrecting my every-so-often roundup of recent Tolkien Treasures: Tolkien-related content that is in the news or Iām currently enjoying and want to share with you all.
In todayās 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 Heās 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 victimsā¦er, I mean volumes, of Tolkienās works. I jest, I jestā¦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 āeviscerated the book by making it an action movie for young people aged 15 to 25ā in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde in July 2012, so itās 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 itās adapted anyways.
Letās let someone with a fresh vision for Middle-earth have a go at it! Do we really need more of Jacksonās 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
Itāsā¦itās so beautiful š
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
Hmm, 11.11ā¦?
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 whatās to come in season 3! It may be time for a season 2 rewatchā¦
4. The Hobbit x Magic: The Gathering
This August, The Hobbit comes to Magic: The Gathering! While Iāve 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 BritaināThe 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. NamƔriƫ!
For Discussion:
Which of the above are you most excited about? Any you donāt like at all? And have you been enjoying anything lately that is Tolkien-related? Let me know in the comments!
š 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 Tolkienās works (and their adaptations). You can also find it and more of my books on Amazon or Gumroad
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