In addition to the news that Amazon’s complicated deal for the TV rights to Lord of the Rings includes the ability to “use material from the films,” a report is suggesting that Amazon may be going back to the original well in more ways than one. Lord of the Rings fan-site The One Ring is reporting that Amazon is actively seeking writers and directors for their billion-dollar adaptation, and one of those collaborators is none other than Peter Jackson.
(He directed and won an Academy Award for his work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and also made Dead Alive.)
With Amazon under the gun with less than two years to start production, per the TV rights deal, they’re moving fast looking for
We have confirmed that Amazon is actively reaching out to multiple established writers, directors and showrunners for their visions of the billion dollar LOTR series. Peter Jackson is of course on the list… But one of many currently pitching.
Tag who you want in the mix
— TheOneRing (@theoneringnet) May 7, 2018
The TV show based on the years prior to The Fellowship of the Ring has had Jackson’s name floating around the production before. The Hollywood Reporter stated last month that Peter Jackson’s name was floated to Amazon by his lawyer, but now we know that with a production that must get underway by early 2020, writers and directors need to be locked down. Who better than Peter Jackson, considering his footage, and possibly some of his locations scouted and used for The Hobbit trilogy as well as his Lord of the Rings trilogy will be used. Still, he must pitch.
So if Amazon does allow him onboard, will Jackson be there to simply kick off the series, or will he be deeply embedded in a show that’s guaranteed to be at least five seasons-long on Amazon Prime? He’s already dedicated years of his life to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, so what’s a few more?
(Via TheOneRing/Gamespot)