It seems New Line Cinema has been caught with their hands in the cookie jar again or at least being unwilling to share the cookies. Having finally settled it’s dispute over financial rights with director Peter Jackson last year, New Line is now being accused of not paying J.R.R. Tolkien’s estate the it’s share of the huge profits from the from the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) film trilogy. The Lord of the Rings movies have grossed over 6 billion dollars worldwide since 2001. The estate of the J.R.R. Tolkien claims they haven’t seen a dime.

Steven Maier, lawyer for the Tolkien trustees told Sky News that, “The Tolkien trustees do not file lawsuits lightly, and have tried unsuccessfully to resolve their claims out of court… but in this case, New Line has left them no option at all.” Bonnie Eskenazi, another lawyer on the Tolkien team added, “I cannot imagine how on earth New Line will argue to a jury that these films could gross literally billions of dollars and yet the creator’s heirs, who are entitled to a share of gross receipts, don’t get a penny.”The lawsuit is being filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Tolkien’s heirs, his publisher, Harper-Collins, and the UK-based, Tolkien Trust.

The plaintiffs seek $150 million in compensation and punitive damages. More importantly for fans of Tolkien and the films, the lawsuit asks that New Line be stripped of its rights to any additional films based on Tolkien’s works. The settlement with Peter Jackson finally cleared the way for the creation of The Hobbit and a sequel which were announced in December. This lawsuit obviously puts the making of The Hobbit in jeopardy. I for one would be very disappointed if anyone but Peter Jackson were allowed to make the film or if the film got scrapped altogether but, I can certainly understand the position of Tolkien’s heirs. New Line just needs to stop being so greedy and share the wealth.