Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series first wanted Peter Jackson – and then flatly ignored him

Amazon’s big fantasy project The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will inevitably have to be compared to Peter Jackson’s beloved film trilogy. If you dig deep into your own memory, you might remember that it four years ago it looked like Filmmaker would become part of the Lord of the Rings series: the creators stood with him “in friendly negotiations” it was called back then. We now know why that never happened in the end.

Lord of the Rings series without Peter Jackson: This is how the director was left hanging

In a podcast conversation with the Hollywood Reporter, Peter Jackson explained, how his non-participation in the Lord of the Rings series came aboutafter his expertise was welcome at the beginning:

They asked me if I [an der Herr der Ringe-Serie] want to be involved […] and I said, ‘There’s no way I can answer that question without seeing a script.’ – So they were like, ‘As soon as we have the first few scripts, we’ll send them to you.’ Yet the scripts never got to me. That was the last I heard from them. But that’s okay, I’m not complaining.

After the mammoth projects of his Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogy, Peter Jackson was quite willing to help out with the new Tolkien project as well. Never getting in touch with him again after the first inquiry and script announcement isn’t exactly Amazon’s fine English way. Still, the director stressed that he doesn’t hold a grudge about it:

I’m going to [die Herr der Ringe-Serie] look at. I’m not the type of person who wishes ill for others. The movie business is hard enough. When someone makes a good movie or TV series, we should celebrate. Especially I look forward to watching the series as a completely neutral viewer. Why was Peter Jackson spurned as a consultant from the Lord of the Rings series?

THR explains the reasons why Peter Jackson was first asked to be the Lord of the Rings expert and then dropped: Apparently John D. Payne and Patrick McKay were looking for them Showrunner of the Lord of the Rings series, initially privately contacted Peter Jackson … before legal concerns arose that the films (belonging to Warner Bros.) shouldn’t be too similar to the Amazon series.

After management changes at Amazon in 2019, Sharon Tal Yguado, a Peter Jackson advocate, left the company. But someone else is said to have had even greater influence: The JRR Tolkien legacy and the legacy of his books administered Tolkien Estate didn’t want Peter Jackson on board. Author’s son Christopher Tolkien had loudly denounced the “evisceration” of the Lord of the Rings template for action film blockbusters in the past. After Amazon shelled out $250 million for the book rights alone, making The Rings of Power the most expensive series of all time, the opinion of the Tolkien heir will have no small impact.

Watch the Lord of the Rings series trailer for Amazon’s big fantasy project

Meanwhile also reacted Amazon with a statement on Peter Jackson’s statements about his failed participation in the Lord of the Rings series:

As we pursued the rights we committed ourselves to the Distinguish the series clearly from the films. We have the utmost respect for Peter Jackson and his Lord of the Rings films and are delighted that he is looking forward to watching The Power of the Rings.

Amazon’s fantasy series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power opens on September 2, 2022 on Prime * – without Peter Jacksons having a hand in it.

Amazon’s Lord of the Rings Series: Will It Be a Fantasy Highlight or a Disappointment?

Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series will soon tell a story set thousands of years before the events of the films. But what exactly awaits us in it?

In the Moviepilot podcast, we talk about what we already know about the Lord of the Rings series, what excites us about it and what might also put us off a bit.

*. .

Would you like to have known Peter Jackson on board Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series?