National Post
Sorry to break it to you, Hobbits? Middle-earthers? Is there even an agreed-upon Lord of the Rings (LotR) fandom name?
Peter Jackson isn’t involved in the new Lord of the Rings series at all, but the rumor mill was flying strong in April (must be all of the dragon wings). Jackson, who directed each LotR movie, including The Hobbit, firmly shot down the rumors himself in an interview with Allocine. He said, “I’m not involved at all in the Lord of the Rings series. I understand how my name could come up, but there is nothing happening with me on this project.” Bummer.
Back in April, Jackson’s lawyer vaguely mentioned that he started a dialogue between Jackson and Amazon, which led fans to believe that he might be producing the show. Either the conversation never really happened, Jackson wasn’t interested, or it didn’t pan out. To further break nerd hearts everywhere, the rumor that he might be directing a DC Extended Universe movie (which came out of nowhere), was also shot down by Jackson.
In the same interview, he said “That’s not true. I had no discussions about that. I’m not a fan of comics, I’ve never read any, so I’m not particularly interested in adapting one for cinema. That’s not true at all. I’m not involved in any DC film or ‘Lord of The Rings’ series but I’m ok with it, I have plenty other projects that keep me busy.” Ouch. To be fair, though, mad respect for someone who would rather stick to his interests than attempt to take on something that holds no interest and would likely result in mediocre work for a steep paycheck.
Never fear, Jackson does have upcoming projects that he is interested in. Mortal Engines, the novel he adapted into a movie along with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens has a December 14 release date that’s looming closer. Christian Rivers, Jackson’s longtime storyboard artist, is directing the film. While there are no Hobbits or capes in Jackson’s immediate future, at least fans have some original work to look forward to.
h/t IndieWire
