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The Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings writer and director Peter Jackson has reacted to Amazon’s upcoming TV series, saying the company basically ghosted him.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Jackson said Amazon asked him and Lord of the Rings writer-producer Fran Walsh if they wanted to be involved in the TV series. Jackson said he and Walsh could not agree to do so until they saw a script, and this is where communication ended, apparently.
“So they said, ‘As soon as we get the first couple scripts, we’ll send them to you.’ And the scripts never showed up. That’s the last thing I heard, which is fine. No complaints at all,” Jackson recalled.
Jackson said in an upcoming episode of The Business podcast that Amazon first approached him about four or five years ago to see if the might be interested in collaborating on the series.
“So I said, ‘Have you got the scripts yet?’ Because I know how hard the scripts were to write for the films, and I didn’t know the people writing their scripts. They said, ‘Oh no, we haven’t got the scripts yet, but as soon as we do, we’ll send you the scripts.’ So I was waiting for the scripts to arrive, and they never did,” Jackson said.
Despite being left out of the loop, Jackson said he he wishes Amazon all the best. “Filmmaking is hard enough. If somebody makes a good film or TV show, it’s something to celebrate,” he said, adding that he’s looking forward to watching The Rings of Power as a “perfectly neutral viewer.”
A spokesperson for Amazon told THR that it has the “utmost respect” for Jackson and The Lord of the Rings films. However, the statement suggested that Amazon might have cut off discussions with Jackson due to rights and legal issues. “In pursuing the rights for our show, we were obligated to keep the series distinct and separate from the films,” the statement said.
THR’s sources said Amazon had “legal concerns” to consider regarding how the TV show must be separate from the films, which are owned by Warner Bros. According to the report, former Amazon Studios boss Sharon Tal Yguado–who left in 2019–advocated for bringing Jackson on to help with The Rings of Power.
The site’s sources added that the Tolkien estate did not want Jackson to work on The Rings of Power. This is not a total surprise, as Christopher Tolkien previously spoke harshly about Jackson’s film series. However, the estate did agree to work with Amazon on The Rings of Power, for the reported fee of $250 million.
Lord Of The Rings: Rings Of Power Comic-Con Trailer Breakdown
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The Rings of Power premieres September 2 on Prime Video. For more, check out the Comic-Con trailer breakdown in the image gallery above.
