Swedish entertainment conglomerate Embracer Group, through its subsidiary Freemode, has agreed to acquire Middle-earth Enterprises, a division of the Saul Zaentz Company, which owns the global rights to films, video games, board games, merchandising, theme parks, and stage productions relating to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, as well as matching rights in other Middle-earth related literary works from the Tolkien Estate and publisher Harpercollins.
The Saul Zaentz Company first acquired the rights to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit in 1976, in an arrangement with United Artists to produce Ralph Bakshi’s animated version (pictured atop), released in 1978.
Purchase details: