Peter Jackson Says He’s “Not Retired” and Confirms He’s Writing Three New Screenplays
It’s been a decade since Peter Jackson wrapped up The Hobbit trilogy, and while things have been relatively quiet on the filmmaking front for him, the Oscar-winning director wants fans to know he hasn’t slowed down. In fact, he’s busier than you might think.
“I’m certainly not retired,” Jackson told Screen Rant in a recent interview. “We are currently working on three different screenplays. I’m at the moment writing three different scripts.”
It’s good to know that the filmmaker who delivered The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies has retired, and while Jackson didn’t reveal what these projects are, there are a few clues about what he’s been up to.
We already know Jackson is producing The Hunt for Gollum, the upcoming Lord of the Rings movie that Andy Serkis is set to direct next year.
“We are producing and have been writing The Hunt for Gollum, which Andy Serkis is going to direct next year. I’ve enjoyed working on documentaries, whether they show I’ve grown old or not, and obviously the [The Beatles: Get Back] project. I’ve enjoyed doing various things with The Beatles, which is great, and that’ll probably carry on.”
Jackson’s acclaimed docuseries The Beatles: Get Back gave fans an intimate look at the creation of the album Let It Be, and it sounds like his documentary work might continue alongside his narrative projects.
Jackson is also fascinated by real-world science, specifically de-extinction. He’s working with Colossal Biosciences, a company attempting to bring back extinct species. Jackson couldn’t hide his excitement about one particular creature:
“To me, de-extincting the Moa would be just as exciting, if not more exciting, than any film I could possibly make,” Jackson said. “I’ve made a lot of movies, but to see the Giant Moa brought back would be a level of excitement that I think would supersede anything at this point in time.”
While Jackson is keeping himself busy, I would love to see him get back in the director’s chair and direct a proper movie again. I’ve always loved his storytelling and filmmaking style! It would especially be cool to see him jump back into horror!
As for The Hunt for Gollum, it’s set to hit theaters on December 17, 2027 and will explore parts of Gollum’s life that were never shown on screen.
“We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn’t have time to cover in the earlier films. It’s too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take our lead from Professor Tolkien.”
But, while Jackson may not be cranking out blockbusters like before, he’s far from done shaping stories, both on screen and in the real world.