After Peter Jackson said the series ghosted him, Amazon responded, but the truth is more complicated

A television show set in Middle-earth’s Second Age could be more of a prequel than a prequel to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy due to Amazon Prime’s The Rings of Power. There will be roles for characters like Galadriel and Elrond in the series, but they won’t be the same versions as those from the movies. The director said he was ghosted about participating in the series.

Amazon sees things differently. Lord of the Rings films was epic when they were released from 2001-2003, and have become iconic since then. As Peter Jackson proved with the Hobbit trilogy that he could bring Middle-earth magic back into time for adventures set before the Fellowship was formed, it wasn’t surprising to wonder if Amazon’s The Rings of Power had anything to do with the films… or Jackson himself.

After confirming he would watch the new show, Jackson spoke with The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast about why he is excited about the show. As Jackson continued, he said, “I have no complaints at all,” and that “making a good television show or film is a cause to celebrate” because it is hard enough to make a film.

He also shared that he was looking forward to “actually seeing it as a perfectly neutral viewer,” since he could not have the same experience as so many others did when watching his Lord of the Rings films. As Peter Jackson tells it, he was ghosted but is not upset about it.

Despite Peter Jackson’s comment that at one time he thought he would at least be sent the scripts for The Rings of Power, Amazon responded immediately. THR reports that Amazon Studios has made the following statement about the upcoming show, which was rumored as far back as 2017.

The statement is in line with reports from last year that Amazon was reaching out to Peter Jackson for the series, but no official announcement was ever made. I find Amazon’s clarification, that they were “obligated” to keep the show and films separate, particularly intriguing in light of alleged sources claiming the estate of J.R.R.

Tolkien opposed it It is not known whether Jackson was involved in The Rings of Power. This estate was paid $250 million by Amazon for the rights to produce the show. Considering Peter Jackson’s comments regarding the Lord of the Rings film trilogy, it wouldn’t be surprising if Tolkien’s estate did not want him to contribute to an adaptation.

Related: The LOTR Movies Were Something Peter Jackson Wanted Derren Brown To Forget

Christopher Tolkien, son of the late author, had some unflattering comments about how the films destroyed the source material. In its current form, the upcoming series won’t take place in Jackson’s universe, but the director looks forward to seeing this new adaptation of Tolkien’s world, and he’s not alone.

Dakota Cameron

Dakota Cameron is a seasoned web content writer and covers the Hollywood movies for the MovieThop Website
Ms. Cameron began his professional life as a freelance blogger. Later, he worked for Witbe as a content writer for two years. His interests include blogging, reading, movies and travel.
Ms. Cameron graduated in Journalism and Mass Communication from University State of Georgia University. He is fluent in French, Spanish, and other languages.