LOS ANGELES, May 9 (Reuters) - A fresh installment in

the "Lord of the Rings" movie series, one of the biggest film

franchises of all time, is scheduled to debut in theaters in

2026.

It is one of two new "Lord of the Rings" films announced by

Warner Bros Discovery ( WBD ) CEO David Zaslav on Thursday.

Andy Serkis will reprise his role as Gollum and will direct

the first of the two films, which has a working title of "Lord

of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum."

Peter Jackson, who directed the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy

two decades ago followed by three "Hobbit" movies, will serve as

a producer of the new films.

The movies are based on books written by J.R.R. Tolkien and

set in the fictional land of Middle-earth inhabited by humans,

elves, dwarves, and hobbits.

The prior movies in the franchise have earned nearly $6

billion combined at global box offices. The 2003 movie, "Return

of the King," won 11 Oscars including best picture.

A previously announced animated "Lord of the Rings" film,

called "The War of the Rohirrim," is set for release in theaters

this December.