Peter Jackson ghosted by Amazon over 'Rings of Power', fans say 'fair enough' after messy 'Hobbit' trilogy
Hollywood filmmaker Peter Jackson is known for creating some of the finest movies of this generation, especially his ‘Lord of the Rings’ movies are considered to be masterpieces. So, when Amazon announced that it will be tackling JRR Tolkien’s iconic novel and producing a series out of it, people started asking questions if Jackson will be
helming the series or not because he has a lot of experience in adapting Tolkien’s work.
Amazon soon announced that they were talking to the ‘King Kong’ director and the discussions were ongoing. In December 2018, Jackson said that he and some of his partners would be reading the scripts soon and offering notes to the people helming the project. However, it seems Amazon didn’t fulfill its promise. In a recent interview, the acclaimed filmmaker made a startling revelation that Amazon never sent him anything related to the fantasy show even when he was told that he would be given the scripts.
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While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the 60-year-old filmmaker claimed that the production giant ghosted him and never contacted him after asking if he wanted to be attached to the mega-budget ‘LOTR’ series. Jackson said, “They asked me if I wanted to be involved - [writer-producer Fran Walsh] and I — and I said, ‘That’s an impossible question to answer without seeing a script.'” So they said, ‘As soon as we get the first couple of scripts, we’ll send them to you.’ And the scripts never showed up.”
He also said that the aforementioned remarks were the last thing that he heard from Amazon. However, he assured everyone that there is no ill will toward the show and is looking forward to watching the series. He added, “I’ll be watching it. I’m not the sort of guy who wishes ill will.”
As soon as the news surfaced online, a certain section of social media started sharing their opinions on the news and seemed happy that Jackson is not involved with the series after ‘The Hobbit’ series. Jackson also directed ‘The Hobbit’ and was criticized for using too much CGI in those films. One of the social media users said, “I can understand this, and part of me is glad he's not going to be involved. As much as I appreciate Peter Jackson for what he's done in the past, the future of Middle-Earth should be in other hands.” Another social media user wrote, “Sorry buddy. LOTR was great, The other Hobbit nonsense was terrible...TERRIBLE. I wouldn't want him to read the scripts either. He needs to move on to something else. You are not the one anymore.”
Another user tweeted, “He made 3 Masterpieces in the beginning, but made a big CGI mess in the Hobbit trilogy. So this can either be "dodging a bullet" or a ‘mistake.’” Another social media user said, “After The Hobbit do you really want him to read your scripts?” Another social media user noted, “After that Hobbit trilogy, fair enough.”
I can understand this and part of me is glad he's not going to be involved. As much as I appreciate Peter Jackson for what he's done in the past, the future of Middle-Earth should be in other hands. https://t.co/AzO1yu9iCT
— Here Be Dragons 🐲🐉 🏳️🌈🌈 (@sharagodwinson) August 6, 2022
Sorry buddy. LOTR was great, The other Hobbit nonsense was terrible...TERRIBLE. I wouldn't want him to read the scripts either. He needs to move on to something else. You are not the one anymore.
— Current Play:Returnal, Bright Memory, DuskDiver (@vagrantpistol) August 6, 2022
He made 3 Masterpieces in the beginning, but made a big CGI mess in the Hobbit trilogy.
— 🇩🇰Mikkel The Tarnished Dane 🗡🛡 (@Mikkel_Dane4K) August 6, 2022
So this can either be "dodging a bullet" or a "mistake"
A few moments after Jackson’s statement went viral, Amazon also released a statement and thanked Jackson for looking forward to watching ‘The Rings of Power’. The statement read, “In pursuing the rights for our show, we were obligated to keep the series distinct and separate from the films. We have the utmost respect for Peter Jackson and The Lord of The Rings films and are thrilled that he is looking forward to watching The Rings of Power.”
The series features Morfydd Clark as Galadriel and Maxim Baldry as Isildur. Other actors to feature on the show include Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Miriel), Robert Aramayo (Elrond), Nazanin Boniadi (Bronwyn), Ismael Cruz Cordova (Arondir), Charles Edwards (Celebrimbor), Markella Kavenagh (Elanor) and more.
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ premieres exclusively on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, September 2.
