Warner Bros.' New Line Cinema, The Tolkien Trust and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. have reached a settlement regarding a lawsuit related to profits from the movie adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Specific terms of the settlement were not disclosed. The suit was filed by HarperCollins and the Tolkien estate in February 2008.

"The trustees regret that legal action was necessary, but are glad that this dispute has been settled on satisfactory terms that will allow the Tolkien Trust properly to pursue its charitable objectives," Christopher Tolkien said in the statement announcing the settlement.

The settlement opens the door for a two-film adaptation based on Tolkien's "The Hobbit."

"We deeply value the contributions of the Tolkien novels to the success of our films and are pleased to have put this litigation behind us. We all look forward to a mutually productive and beneficial relationship in the future," Warner Bros. President and Chief Operating Officer Alan Horn said in the statement.