Ghosting Peter Jackson? You had to dare, Amazon did it! The opinion of the famous director of the trilogies of Lord of the Rings a you Hobbit was not asked by the streaming service when designing the series Rings of Power. Even worse, the filmmaker was snubbed by the platform… This was revealed by Peter Jackson during an interview with the Hollywood Reporter podcast, Awards Chatter.
A filmmaker ghosted (but not resentful)
During the acquisition of the worldwide TV rights of the Lord of the Rings by Amazon in November 2017, fans of the universe created by JRR Tolkien wondered if director Peter Jackson was going to be involved in the project. It became apparent over time that this would not be the case, although the filmmaker would not have been against taking part in the adventure!
They asked me if I wanted to be involved – [la scénariste et productrice Fran Walsh] and I – and I replied: “That’s an impossible question to answer without seeing the script.“. They told me : “As soon as we have the first two scripts, we will send them to you“. And the scripts never arrived. That’s the last thing I heard, which is great. I’m not complaining at all. […] I will watch [la série]. I’m not the kind of guy who wishes harm. Filmmaking is hard enough. If someone makes a good movie or a good TV series, we have to celebrate. The only thing that I look forward to is seeing him as a perfectly neutral viewer.
Not holding a grudge, the filmmaker shared his eagerness to watch The Lord of Rings: The Rings of Power, for which Amazon has unveiled a mysterious new teaser. And if you’re wondering why the streaming service didn’t ask Peter Jackson for advice, rumors indicate that Tolkien’s successors were against his involvement in the series. Already, before his death in 2020, Christopher Tolkien had not hesitated to publicly share his dissatisfaction with his film adaptations.
What do you think of the reasons that prevented Peter Jackson from participating in the creation of the Amazon series? Tell us in the comments!