Curtis Brown have signed the J.R.R. Tolkien literary estate under their Curtis Brown Heritage banner.
Curtis Brown Heritage, which launched in 2016 with the objective of managing some of the most beloved literary estates in the world, already reps Douglas Adams, A.A. Milne and Barbara Taylor Bradford’s estates.
Now they’ll be adding “The Lord of the Rings” creator’s works to their roster after inking a deal with the descendants of J.R.R. Tolkien, who manage his estate.
The estate is made up of two bodies, The Tolkien Estate Limited and The Tolkien Trust. Together they are the custodians of Tolkien’s works published during his lifetime. They also jointly rep Tolkien’s posthumous works together with the Christopher Tolkien Estate.
“It is a great honour and a joy to be working with the Tolkien Estate to preserve and celebrate J.R.R. Tolkien’s extraordinary literary legacy, and to help to bring new readers (and viewers and listeners) to his writing,” said Norah Perkins, head of Curtis Brown Heritage. “I am thrilled to be joining the Estate on the next part of the journey.”
J.R.R. Tolkien (courtesy of The Tolkien Estate)
The Tolkien Estate said: “As a family, we remain deeply conscious of the responsibility of looking after J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary works and legacy. We are committed to keeping his stories alive for generations to come. In Curtis Brown Heritage we have found partners who share that passion, and we are delighted to be working with them.”
Jonny Geller, CEO of The Curtis Brown Group, added: “I’m delighted on behalf of Curtis Brown to welcome one of the great literary estates of the world to the agency. All of us who grew up passionate about reading have been influenced and dazzled by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and we are committed to help to bring a new generation of readers to the enduring pleasure of these great books.”
In 2022 Swedish gaming company Embracer acquired the film and television rights to Tolkien’s published works from longtime owners The Saul Zaentz Company for $395 million. The rights excluded television series of eight episodes or more, which remain with the Tolkien Estate. The Estate licensed these to Amazon Prime Video to create “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” which launched in 2022.
Variety understands Curtis Brown Heritage will be working with all the Estate’s historic partners, including Embracer and HarperCollins.
