Peter Jackson recently revealed that he expressed interest in helming Amazon’s upcomingLord of the RingsTV seriesThe Rings of Power, but never heard back from the studio.
Amazon’sLord of the Ringsshow is a record-breaking investment for the streamer, so fans have big expectations of the fantasy series. Still, some fans have expressed concern over the fact that Jackson, the director ofthe 2000sThe Lord of the Ringsfilms, wasn’t involved in the project, and viewers finally know why.
RELATED:Lord Of The Rings: 6 Things Only Book Readers Know About Galadriel
In an appearance on The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Jackson said that he was approached by Amazon about getting involved withThe Rings of Poweraround four or five years ago. At the time, he told the studio that he wanted to see a script before making any commitments, saying, “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 went on to reiterate that he does not have hard feelings toward the studio. “I’ll be watching it. I’m not the sort of guy who wishes ill will. Filmmaking is hard enough. If somebody makes a good film or TV show, it’s something to celebrate. The one thing I am looking forward to is actually seeing it as a perfectly neutral viewer.”
In response, Amazon Studios released a statement explaining its decision. “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 andThe Lord of The Ringsfilms and are thrilled that he is looking forward to watchingThe Rings of Power.” Per The Hollywood Reporter, sources inside Amazon Studios confirm this story. Showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay wanted Jackson involved, but legal issues prevented it. Sources indicate that the Tolkien estate, which granted Amazon the rights to the series for a record-breaking $250 million, was opposed to Jackson’s involvement. In 2015, the head of the Tolkien estate at the time, Christopher Tolkien, criticizedJackson’sLord of the Ringsfilmsand said, “They eviscerated the book by making it an action movie for young people aged 15 to 25.”
Perhaps even more importantly, the rights to the film trilogy reside with New Line Cinema, a subsidiary ofthe newly merged Warner Bros. Discovery. As implied in their previously quoted statement, Amazon was likely contractually obligated to placeThe Rings of Powerin a separate universe from the film trilogy.
The upcoming series had to be a completely unrelated adaptation of the source material, or else it would face lawsuits from Warner Bros. It is almost certainly for this reason that none of the actors from the film trilogy have been cast in the series—eventhe immortal elves Elrondand Galadriel, who have major roles in both—and why Amazon decided not to tap Jackson to helm the series.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Poweris set to release on August 07, 2025, on Amazon Prime Video.
MORE:The Lord Of The Rings: Rings Of Power: 7 Things Only Die-Hard Hans Noticed In The SDCC Trailer
