… Representatives for Zaentz Co. have quietly held pitch meetings in recent weeks to sell the portfolio of Tolkien rights that producer Saul Zaentz acquired in the late 1960s and ​’70s. It’s no secret that Warner Bros. and Zaentz Co. have had acquisition discussions over the last decade or so but they’ve never gotten close to a deal.

The Zaentz Co. holdings encompass rights to exploit LotR and The Hobbit properties in movies, video games, merchandising, live events and theme parks. It also includes limited matching rights should the Tolkien estate decide to make movies or other content based on two compilations of Tolkien writings that were published after his death in 1973: The Silmarillion and The Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth.…

Warner Bros. has had a long-term license on LotR and The Hobbit since the late 1990s. The studio is said to be adamant that it has continuously met requirements to hold on to its rights by maintaining active development on the property, exercising options in a timely manner and making periodic payments to Zaentz Co.

As if to buttress that point, Warner Bros. earlier this week…

“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” — the original animé feature from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation — is set for release on April 12, 2024 from Warner Bros. Pictures, Variety can report exclusively.

Set roughly two centuries before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ​“The Hobbit” and ​“The Lord of the Rings,” ​“The War of the Rohirrim” will explore the exploits of Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan, and the creation of Helm’s Deep, the stronghold featured in Peter Jackson​’s ​“The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.” …

Amazon now runs through Middle-earth.

The trailer for ​“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” debuted on Sunday during the Super Bowl, revealing for the first time how the wildly ambitious new series for Amazon Prime Video is bringing the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth to life.

The 60-second teaser for the show, set thousands of years before Peter Jackson’s six feature films adapted from Tolkien’s novels, opens with the kind of awestruck, yearning dialogue familiar to anyone who has seen or read either: ​“Haven’t you ever wondered what else is out there? There’s wonders in this world beyond our wandering. I can feel it!” …

… An array of movie, merchandising, gaming and live event rights to ​“Lord of the Rings,” ​“The Hobbit” and other titles from author J.R.R. Tolkien are coming up for auction now that the Saul Zaentz Co. has decided to sell its Tolkien holdings.

Zaentz Co. has hired ACF Investment Bank to handle the sale process, which is unfolding this week as bankers make the rounds of the logical Hollywood buyers. The Tolkien properties are projected to fetch at least $2 billion, based on recent high valuations for top-tier IP and content producers. Representatives for Zaentz Co. and ACF declined to comment.

The timing of the sale process is not accidental. Amazon is set to première its long-awaited, mega-budgeted TV series rendition of the enduring ​“Lord of the Rings” saga, ​“Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” on Sept. 2. Amazon is at the top of the list of prime candidates to pursue the additional rights now held by Zaentz.…